


Lock and Key

by ilrahc



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Blackmail, Drama, M/M, Multi, Tragedy, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-04-01
Packaged: 2018-05-15 00:18:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5764507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilrahc/pseuds/ilrahc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After shifting into a titan to protect Armin and Mikasa from canon fire, Eren is kept in a cell under the detainment of the Survey Corps, not expecting captain Levi to come and visit him every night and even give him more than he bargained for.<br/>But love is a dangerous game in the military, and once a secret is out...<br/>There are always consequences.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Heyy!! Thanks for coming!  
> Welcome to my first (official) snk/ereri fanfic :0  
> I'm still busy writing so its hard to say how many chapters there'll be in total for the time being (I reckon it'll be like 10?)  
> And before you start reading, I have quoted some dialogue from the anime (which I own no rights to and all that jazz).  
> So, that's all from me-enjoy!!  
> And if you like it, please let me know, it really means a lot to me! :3 (just as a heads up, this first chapter will seem quite slow, but it does pick up, trust me ;3c)

A heavy pounding in my head brought me to my senses. I opened my eyes slowly with a groan. Everything was blurred, dark shapes morphing and shifting into and out of each other.  
  
Where was I?  
  
Experimentally, I made to sit up, and, upon finding no sudden twang of pain or searing memory of  the events that had happened before, I was able to finally comprehend my surroundings better. I was faced on either side with expansive darkness, I couldn’t say how far it stretched back. But even in the dark I could make out the fine lines of bricks. I was aware of a warm orange glow ahead of me, the heat of the torches tingling my cold cheeks slightly. Only upon turning my full attention to it did I realise, I was behind bars; a row of thick iron poles cast in silhouette from the light. I squinted and instantly drew in a sharp breath. Two figures were on the other side of the bars. One sitting down, the other standing next to them, leaning against the wall. It took me a moment to realise they were in-fact commander Erwin and captain Levi. I gritted my teeth and suddenly made to stand up in protest and confusion, when I felt the tug of the metal shackles around my wrists. I shot a glance to my hands. Two heavy clamps clung to my wrists, fastened back to the wall behind me.  
  
What the hell was going on here? Where were Armin and Mikasa?  
  
I opened my mouth to speak, the words dying instantly on my lips. My throat tightened and I almost gagged at how dry and rough it had become.  
  
“W-where...where am I?” I struggled weakly.  
  
“I think its obvious.” Erwin began, fixing me with a pointed stare. “Lets just call it a ‘dungeon’.”  
  
A dungeon? What was I supposed to say to that? “You’re currently in the custody of the military police.” he continued. “We were granted permission to see you only just now.”  
  
I swallowed and glanced heatedly to the shackles around my wrists, tightening my fists into balls, clenching them so hard I could see, even in the poor light, my knuckles whiten. I flicked my gaze back up to the sound of a soft chinking. I let out a silent gasp. Erwin held up my father’s basement key in one hand, his gaze still fixed on me. Instinctively, I lunged forward in some vein attempt to get it back. The heavy metal cuffs quickly reminded me I wasn’t going anywhere fast.  
  
“Where’d you get that...” I seethed.  
  
“Off you.” Erwin responded indifferently. “Don’t worry, you’ll get it back. But let’s talk home. In particular, your father’s cellar back in Shiganshi. From what I understand, there’s a pretty big secret in there, right?”  
  
My heart fluttered, an involuntary shudder sweeping over me. I couldn’t speak.  
  
“About the _titans_?” he prompted, a hint of frustration flashing in his stoic, patient eyes.  
  
“I-I think so...that’s what dad said anyway.” I responded, trying to hide how much my voice trembled over every word.  
  
“It must suck having your dad and your memory.” a new voice retorted coldly. Captain Levi was now locking my gaze, scrutinizing me through his silver slits for eyes. “Unless of course...” he drawled, “Its all just some kind of cover story.”  
  
I clamped my jaw shut, trying to suppress my anger.

Who was he to make assumptions? He knew nothing. He knew nothing about me or my father.  
  
“That’s enough.” Erwin warned, shooting a heated glance to Levi before turning back to me. “We know he has no reason to lie...and that’s all we know. Perhaps you’d like to enlighten us somewhat by telling us you’re intentions.”  
  
I blinked, confused.

My intentions? I could feel the two men’s stares penetrating through me, waiting for an answer.  
  
“M-my what...what do you mean?”  
  
“We want to pay your father’s cellar a visit.” Erwin explained. “Which means venturing back to Shiganshi. We’ll need your special powers to help us breach the wall-like you did in trost. But either way you look at it, the titans are deciding our fate. There’s speculation that the armoured titan and the colossal titan are not that much different from you...”  
  
I silently listened to him, hooked on his every word. “That’s why I ask your intentions. This could be the key for saving us.”  
  
I swallowed again, bowing my head for a moment. I could feel my chest beginning to rise and fall faster and faster, a sudden fire growing inside me. A strange whine began to ring from ear to ear, alien memories of my father and...home flashing before my eyes.  I could see mom...I saw her plucked from the rubble of our fallen house, lying limp in the filthy, disgusting hands of the titan, its long winding fingers wrapped tightly around her waist. I could see her struggling, her tears and her cries all in vein as the hellish creature found purchase on her with its other disgusting hand and squeezed the air out of her lungs, pushing her tear filled eyes almost out of their sockets, prizing her apart like a stuffed animal.  
  
“Come on, its an easy question.” the captain’s irritated voice snapped me back into focus. “So answer it.” My whole body trembled violently, rage and hatred and sheer passion practically radiating from me. My breathing was heavy and stammered. I felt like I was going to explode. “What the hell is it you want to do?” Levi pushed, folding his arms expectantly.  
  
“I want to become a member of the scouts.” I growled lowly. “And slaughter every titan that crosses my path.”  
  
“Huh...well played.” Levi mused. I glanced up to him through hooded eyes. There was a new shine in his eyes, a smirk beginning to break on his face. I watched as he moved from his position against the wall and began to approach the bars of the cell. “Alright then. I’ll take responsibility for him. Let the higher-ups know what’s going on.”

He gripped one of the bars, sending a cold echo bouncing off the walls of the cell. He eyed me levelly. “Not that I explicitly trust him of course. Its more a matter of me trusting _myself_ to deal with him. Kill him if I have to.” he mused. My heart fluttered, a sense of panic beginning to wash over me. He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, his thoughts unreadable. If he was looking for a reaction, I sure as hell wasn’t going to give him one. “Good news, Jaeger.” a smirk broke on his face. “You’re now officially a member of the scouts.” My mouth dropped open a little, my heart beginning to beat faster.  
  
“R-really?”  
  
“Why else would I say it, dumbass?” he retorted dryly. He dropped his arm and spun on his heel, moving back to Erwin’s side. Erwin rose to his feet and bowed his head.  
  
“Very well. We’ll come and talk to you again in the morning, Eren.” he said, guiding Levi away from the cell.

I watched them go, still more questions I needed answered, but they were quickly gone before I even had chance to open my mouth. I caught captain Levi steal one last glance to me as he left, the image of his intimidating stare branding my mind. The soft licking and hissing of the torches outside the cell calmed me back down. Throwing my head back against the hard bed, I let out a disgruntled sigh.  
  
I felt torn inside.

This was what I wanted, right? Ever since I was a kid, I had dreamed of nothing more than being part of the survey core...but now I had been accepted, I almost felt like this was a bad idea. The way Erwin and Levi eyed me...it was as if I was some kind of monster, like I didn’t belong there. Like I wasn’t even human. Which I guess was partly true. I still couldn’t begin to explain my powers and the creeping thought that I never would, began to writhe around in my mind.  
  
  
I can’t say how many hours must have past, but I was almost certain I had not been able to fall asleep. Not properly anyway. The constant weight on my mind kept me lapsing transiently from consciousness to unconsciousness. Then, the rounded echo of approaching footsteps suddenly snapped my senses back awake. I sat up sharply and blinked, confused, to find the captain on the other side of the bars. The other guards were now gone; he was alone, the same unreadable expression plastered on his face. His pale features were cast in a soft orange glow from the nearby torches.  
  
“You didn’t have to wake up, brat.”  
  
“C-captain? What are you doing here?” I squinted, confused as to why he’d be back so soon. And alone at that. It couldn’t be morning already, could it?  
  
“I came to keep watch on you. Erwin’s orders.” he deadpanned, leaning back against the wall, lifting one leg against the wall also. He jerked his head, flipping his fringe to the side, watching me with a steady glare. “You don’t need to keep looking at me like that. Go back to sleep already.”  
  
This guy was treating me like some kind of kid! Sure, I was still only 15 but I didn’t need him to tell me when my bed time was.  
  
“Maybe I’m not tired.” I shot back before I had chance to stop myself. He raised a perfect eyebrow, a hint of amusement braking on his lips.  
  
“Standing up to the captain now, are we? That’s pretty audacious.”  
  
“I-I wasn’t, I just...I-I’m not tired.” I spluttered clumsily, beginning to panic again, my cheeks burning red. What was I doing? If I pissed off the captain they’d call off the whole deal for sure! I’d be dismissed from the survey core and probably used for firearm practise.  
  
“Fine. Suit yourself.” he responded coldly. “But keep gawping at me with those huge fucking eyes of yours, and I’ll make _sure_ you’re asleep.” he stretched his arms, cracking his knuckles for effect. I gulped.

How was someone as short as he was, able to assert such dominance and authority over me? I kept quiet and glanced to the floor.  
  
“So...are you actually going to go back to Shiganshi?” I piped up eventually, wishing to rid the tense silence that descended upon us. “T-to find my father’s basement?”  
  
Levi considered, tilting his head slightly to the side. “Incase you’ve forgotten, your father’s basement holds the key to the secret behind the titans. Of course we’re going to try, brat.” he retorted. “And just for the record, between you and me, do you know anything about the titans? The basement? If you’re hiding some dirty little secret, I suggest you spit it out now before the military get it out of you.”  
  
“I’m not hiding anything!” I snapped, tugging on the shackles. “I know nothing!”  
  
“You’re damn right there.” he spat, striding over and aggressively grabbing one of the bars for the cell, holding my gaze. “First you back chat me and now you’re raising your voice at me? I didn’t expect you to be so bold, brat.” I could hear an amused lilt in his voice, every time he called me that.  
  
“Stop calling me ‘brat’.” I growled.  
  
“Once you learn some fucking manners.”  
  
Ouch.

I cast my eyes to the floor, feeling him still watching me. My cheeks flared red under his intense scrutiny. I heard him sigh and his arm drop from the bar. “Kid, look at me.” his tone was softer, but still firm enough to make me snap my head up to look at him. “Lets just drop this. Since I’ve volunteered to take you under with me, like it or not, we’re going to have to spend a lot more time together. Let’s not let it turn to shit this quickly. Lets be men about it and move on.”  
  
I nodded slowly, shifting my gaze slowly away from him.  
  
“C-captain Levi?” I started, quietly.  
  
“What?”  
  
“I didn’t say earlier...but...t-thanks for taking me under and letting me join the survey core.”  
  
The edge of his mouth curved into a smirk. “It was either that or you became firearm practise.”  
  
I gulped and felt a cold sensation on my neck, the hairs on my arms standing up. I felt my whole face turn pale with the thought. My fears were true. They would just dispose of me like that. “Hey...kid...kid!” I shook my head and looked up to Levi to find a hint of concern brake in his stone eyes. “You ok? You spaced out on me for a moment.”  
  
“Y-yeah...I’m fine...” I lied. And boy did he see straight through it.  
  
“Bullshit.” He tightened his grip on the bar, clenching his jaw as he considered his next sentence. “Look, as long as you’re with me, you have nothing to fear. You stay in my shadow and it’ll all be ok. Got it?”  
  
I nodded slowly.  
  
Stay in his shadow and it’d all be ok.  
  
That night, I promised myself I would do just that...but oh how quickly I strayed from that promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect the first signs of Ereri action in the next chapter... ;3c


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected visitor comes to Eren's cell the next night. What's captain Levi doing back here again?  
> On Erwin's orders, Levi has to keep watch on him.  
> A few conversations later and Eren realizes something terrible...  
> He has the hots for the captain! :0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy! Welcome to chapter 2!  
> Expect the start of some Ereri action (even if Levi will deny it otherwise ;3c)  
> Hopefully things will begin to get more exciting from here on out~  
> Enjoy! And any feedback is always hugely appreciated!!  
> Also, I'm going to try and keep a schedule of a weekly upload every Friday-so until then!

The next day, Erwin came to the cell. He told me I was going to be detained here for a while longer while they ‘organized everything’. I assumed he was referring to me joining the survey core and all the inevitable problems that would cause. Though he never out-right said this.  
  
Hours crawled achingly by and all I was left to entertain myself with was my own thoughts and the two silent, begrudging guards who stood outside my cell. It wasn’t exactly like I could _do_ anything, bound in those stupid shackles. But I was still the monster everyone couldn’t trust and nothing I could say would change that.  
  
My mind wandered to where everyone else had gone. Where were Mikasa and Armin? Were they chained up like an animal too? I decided it wasn’t likely. After all, they weren’t the threat here. I was.  
  
As I had done the night before, I lay trying to force myself asleep, pushing out the intrusive thoughts that kept seeping into my head. That was until I heard footsteps. I brought myself to sitting and my face lit up a little.  
  
“Captain!”  
  
Levi bowed his head and looked to me through hooded eyes. “What are you doing here again?”  
  
“Well, Erwin should have been on watch for you tonight, but had to leave last minute for a meeting with the MPs.” he explained, that same unreadable expression on his face. “So they sent me instead.”  
  
I nodded, shifting awkwardly in the bed.  
  
“Sounds serious. Do you think its about anything bad?”  
  
“Fuck if I know, kid.” he dismissed with a shrug. “Don’t get hung up on it though. If it were serious, we’d know.”  
  
Despite only knowing him for less than a day, I found myself in complete faith of every word Levi said. Everything he said, he said with conviction, he meant it.  
  
A sudden shiver scuttled up my back, sending my body into an involuntary shudder. Levi flicked his glance up to me. “What’s wrong?”  
  
“N-nothing...I just shivered.” I responded weakly.  
  
“You cold or something?”  
  
“N-no I’m fine, honestly.” I should have known by now that Levi could read lies like pages in a book. He frowned.  
  
“Don’t lie to me, brat. Are you cold or not?” he fixed me with a pointed stare, waiting expectantly for my response.  
  
“M-maybe just a little...” I admitted sheepishly, blushing a little. I watched him move over to the cell, pulling a ring of keys from his belt.  
  
What was he doing?  
  
He stole a quick glance over his shoulder before slotting a rusty key into the lock and twisting it until something clicked and the cell door creaked open. Levi strode over to the bed, cast in silhouette from the golden light behind him, shrugging off his jacket. He held it out for me to take.

"There. Take it.”  
  
“W-what?”  
  
The man shifted his weight to one foot, pinching the bridge of his nose with a frustrated sigh.  
  
“Just take the damn coat, Eren.”  
  
My heart fluttered when he spoke my name. I blinked and hesitantly reached up to take the coat. I clumsily draped it around my shoulders. It was too small for me and the shackles weren’t easy to maneuver around, but it was an extra layer which I was more than grateful for.  
  
“T-thank you.”  
  
“Tch-whatever.” he rolled his eyes and spun on his heel, making to walk back out again.  
  
‘W-wait!” I called. He paused and turned back over his shoulder, an impatient frown tugging at his lips.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Why’d you do that?”  
  
“What, give you my jacket? Because we can’t afford to lose our most valuable weapon to the cold.”  
  
Most valuable weapon? What could I say to that? I blinked repeatedly and looked to the bed.  
  
“O-oh...”  
  
“You’re welcome.” he responded dryly. Just as he was about to move off again, he hesitated and turned back to face me. “Oh, and just because I gave you my jacket doesn’t mean there’s anything between us, brat. Don’t even consider it, you got that?”  
  
“I wasn’t--“  
  
“Good. Glad you understand that.” He nodded stoically and made, for the third time, to leave the cell again.  
  
He thought I...was interested in him? Where would he get an idea like that? I watched him and tilted my head, squinting slightly.

Why would I be interested in a short...grumpy...sassy...quick-witted...sharp...caring... _hot as hell_...oh god no...  
  
FUCK  
  
I _did_ like him!  
  
Maybe?  
  
Maybe I was looking too deeply into it. Maybe the cold was getting the best of my senses. Maybe this would all mean nothing in the morning when I woke up. But how could I go to sleep knowing that I liked the captain!  
  
I kept seeing images of him leaving the cell after he’d given me his jacket. The way his shirt hung over his small frame, falling in a smooth small curve over his perfect hips. The way the 3dm gear accentuated  his petite yet toned features. And the way his pants clung to his perfect ass...ohhhhh boy I had it bad. And it only dawned on me once he specifically told me _not_ to get any ideas.  
  
I had to reassure myself this was all nonsense, and that I couldn’t really be turned on by the corporal’s ass. But the harder I tried to think about something else, the more I kept thinking about him.  
  
Godammit.  
  
What if something just slipped out while I was talking to him? I had a notorious tendency to never give a second thought to what left my mouth-and more often than not, I deeply regretted that decision. And I could tell with Levi, if I pissed him off even once, it would be close to impossible to get him to tolerate me again. Because in all fact, I could see a lot of Mikasa in him, and a lot of Levi in Mikasa. Their mannerisms and attitudes were so similar, and I knew from past experience, once I’d royally pissed Mikasa off, it could take days of desperate begging just to get her to talk to me again.  
  
But with Levi, it could be never again. And I wasn’t going to let that happen.  
  
He said himself he didn’t want there to be anything between us-which made sense I guess; his reputation would rapidly decline from ‘corporal badass’ to ‘titan fucker’. And I would have to understand that in time. But even if I could just be friends with him, that was still better than nothing, right?  
  
Over all the questions swirling in my mind, one thought kept flooding back to the front of my mind. What he told me the night before.  
  
_“You stay in my shadow and it’ll all be ok.”_  
  
Despite whatever the hell I was now feeling for the captain, I had to keep my boundaries and restrain any stupid impulses.  
  
I couldn’t afford to fuck this up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Ereri action plus the courtroom scene in the next chapter! :0


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi visits Eren's cell again the next morning and requests him to make a strange promise. As in the canon plot, the courtroom business goes down and Eren is left questioning his feelings for Levi.  
> (UPDATE: I accidentally uploaded ch4 instead of 3-oops!! So apologies for that-everything's fixed now though!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! This chapter is mainly based around the canon plot with Eren and Levi in the courtroom (and some of the dialogue is lifted from the actual show-which I own no rights to and all that jazz), but includes a strange promise from Levi, which Eren vows to keep. But after everything Levi puts him through in the courtroom, can Eren still hold on to that promise?

I could hear Levi’s voice.  
  
It was distant and warped, as if he were calling from a mile away and whispering in my ear at the same time. I blinked wearily awake to find I wasn’t in-fact dreaming.  
  
Levi stood a little way before me in the cell, watching me with a frown.  
  
“Fucking finally. I thought you were _never_ going to wake up.”  
  
He shot a glance to the floor and let out a disgruntled sigh. I shunted up the bed, doubling over to sitting.  I looked to him and quickly realized the jacket had now vanished from over my shoulders and was now back on him.  He paused, following my line of vision.  “If you’re staring at me like that because of the jacket then yes, I went back earlier to get it. You were completely out of it when I came-sleeping like a fucking brick.” he mused, his mouth twisting into a smirk.  
  
I blushed and glanced away. “At least you didn’t die of cold.” he pointed out. “But never mind that. I have to get out of here before they see I was inside the cell.” he bit his lip, narrowing his eyes pensively.  
  
“W-why?” I asked, even though I could pretty much anticipate his answer. He cast a look to me before returning it to the floor.  
  
“Because if they see me in the cell, they’ll get ideas. You’re not stupid, brat-you get my gist here. So I have to go...but before I do...I need you to promise me something.”  
  
He turned on his heel and stood facing away from me, his brows knitted and his jaw tightly clenched, the line highlighted in the glow of the torches.  
  
My heart began to hammer. Promise him something?  
  
Oh god, could he see through me that easily? Could he tell that I liked him??  
  
“A-anything...” I stumbled. I watched him draw in a breath, his brows furrowing further.  
  
“You have to promise me that you’ll understand that...whatever I do to you, I’m doing for a reason. I don’t want you to question it or start presuming shit about me. Just...promise me you’ll understand...” He lifted his gaze to meet mine and stared at me for what seemed like an eternity. Only now was I able to fully see his eyes. They sparkled in the soft light, hints of gold gleaming in those stoic silver orbs. A twisting sense of guilt lay dormant in the dark of his eyes, hidden behind the mask of passive expression. My mouth dropped open a little in awe.  
  
Fucking hell, this man was gorgeous. “Eren? Eren! Jesus, how often do you just fucking space out like that! Stop it, its creepy.” he grimaced. I shook my head and focused back on what he was saying. “So do you promise me? That you’ll understand?”  
  
“I promise.” I could see his face relax slightly, any sign of worry in his face replaced by the unreadable neutral mask I had learned was normal for him.  
  
Levi left without another word and I found myself with even more questions than before, with only my own echo to answer them.  
  
Why he made me promise something like that was still a mystery to me, but Levi being the man I’d quickly come to know, he knew what he was doing. And I trusted him.  
  
  
I sat thinking for some time longer-what else could I actually do?- when I heard approaching footsteps. My heart fluttered in the hope that it was Levi. Instead, a new face stuck her face through the bars of the cell. A messy dark ponytail swung to a stop as she gawped at me through strange tinted glasses. I instinctively recoiled backwards, raising a hand in self defense.    
  
“So then! You must be Eren!” she grinned. “Sooo, how are ya? Ya doing ok? Sorry its taken so long, but you can finally come out now!”  
  
I let out a silent gasp, my heart beginning to beat faster. I watched in anticipated relief as she fumbled with a ring of keys to open the cell door. Finally, I’d be able to see Armin and Mikasa again and maybe I’d be able to find Levi and talk with him properly.  
  
Then I saw the handcuffs in the girl’s other hand. “One thing though...you’re going to have to put these on.” she lifted the handcuffs, the sound of the metal chinking together was enough to make me sick.  
  
I walked between the girl-who I learned was called Hanje-and another scout member, neither of them explaining where I was headed until we reached the two heavy wooden doors of a courtroom. I was pushed inside before I could protest and before I knew it, I was cuffed to a pole in the centre of the room, with what felt like a thousand pairs of eyes all fixed on me. Civilians, MPs, other cadets and a judge on a high podium all sat before me.  
  
What the hell was going on here? What was all this about?  
  
Upon looking around, my eyes landed on Mikasa and Armin. I strained on the handcuffs in a vein attempt to move closer to them. Both stared at me with resounding look of guilt and pity. I shifted my gaze forward to find Levi and Erwin standing side by side. Neither met my gaze.  
  
Was this why Levi had looked almost guilty in the cell before? He knew this was happening and he didn’t even tell me?  
  
As angry as I was, I had to remember my promise to him. Everything he was doing was for a reason. So this meant he had the situation under control, right?  
  
I quickly learned that this whole gathering was because of my powers and in the next half hour, whether I lived or died would be decided.  
  
And it seemed a lot of people in that room wanted me dead. My reoccurring fear of being firearm practice was slowly becoming an inescapable reality.  
  
Until it was the Survey corps’ turn to speak.  
  
All of a sudden, it was as if Erwin sprouted wings and a halo. He proposed, as he and Levi told me two nights ago, to let me into the Survey core and join their ranks.  
  
My new found hope didn’t last long. The room quickly escalated into a roar of arguments from both sides and I was trapped in the middle, unable to move. Unable to think.  
  
Then they started accusing Mikasa of being a titan too. They could think whatever the hell they wanted about me. They could use me for firearm practice, shoot me down until my body was nothing but bullet holes for all I cared, but they did not bring the one fragment of family I had left into this.  
  
“Now hold on a second!” I cried over the impossible noise of everyone else. “I may be the the monster you want dead but you leave her out of this! She’s innocent!”  
  
More accusations were hurled in my face, only angering me further. “STOP IT!” I screamed, jerking hard on the handcuffs.  
  
A hushed silence descended on the room. “You’re all wrong...” I continued in a trembling voice, growing more regretful with every bold word I said. “You’re wrong about everything...you’re blind to the truth...none of you have even ever seen a titan so why are you so afraid!”  
  
What was I saying? This was only going to lead to more trouble. But at the time, I was too overcome with sheer rage to even care.  
  
They were going to hear it all.  
  
They were going to fucking hear it all.  
  
“If you’re too scared to fight then let me do it! Y-you’re all cowards! Just shut up and put all your faith in me!” I cried at the top of my lungs, straining on the handcuffs. My voice bounced off every wall, the only sound left over the stunned silence from everyone in the room.  
  
I could hear the click of a rifle being reloaded to the side of me.  
  
“Take aim dammit.” one of the officers snarled. My eyes widened. This was it.  
  
I was going to die.  
  
_THWUMP_.  
  
Next thing I knew, my jaw was swung to the side from a foreign impact, one of my teeth flying clean out of my mouth, bouncing along the ground a little way. I snapped my head back up only to find Levi staring down at me with stone eyes, a shimmer of crazed anger burning in his pupils.  
  
“Le--“  
  
A knee was suddenly thrust into my stomach, a sickening twist of pain exploding in my gut. Before I could even react, I was yanked up by my hair and shirt collar, the handcuffs chafing on my wrists. The same knee was then forced into my face, several more blows delivered all over my body until I could taste the blood freely trickling out of my mouth like a fountain. My whole frame trembled violently, barely able to keep myself upright. I felt like all my bones were just going to snap into a thousand pieces any moment now. Just as I was beginning to regain some kind of strength, trying to normalize each heaving breath, a foot slammed on the top of my head, sending it crashing into the cold marble floor. The ground muffled the choking sobs leaving my throat.  
  
What the hell was going on...  
  
Why was Levi doing this...  
  
I remembered my promise to him, but in the place I found myself then, believing him was the last thing on my mind.  
  
I could hear Levi’s voice addressing the room but the overpowering pounding in my ears drowned him out. This continued for less then twenty seconds before another round of excruciating blows all over my body were delivered.  
  
He stopped at the sound of other voices. Even if they were from the side that were wanting to kill me less then two minutes ago, I was still grateful for them stopping him. Suddenly I was yanked up by my hair again, a weak moan leaving my throat without my control. Levi held my head up like some kind of trophy.  
  
A bleeding, beaten trophy.  
  
What happened next was difficult for me to say. I was so weak, I kept lapsing in and out of consciousness. I heard Levi addressing the room again, but his voice was warped and it sounded like he was speaking a different language completely. I remember the slam of the hammer from the judge.  
  
A decision was made but I was too exhausted to care whether I would open my eyes ever again or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: more awkward Ereri action and Armin being the gal pal at Eren's side, finally learning about Eren's feelings for a certain corporal. ;3c


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following the events in the courtroom, Eren is cleaned up and taken back to Armin and Mikasa-not before some awkward alone time with the captain of course ;3.  
> Also Armin is a gal pal at the end of the chapter-he's so sweet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter may seem kinda familiar to some of you because I accidentally uploaded this one instead of chapter 3 last week-I only realised I'd done that on like Tuesday :y oops.   
> So here it is, for those of you who've seen it and those who haven't-enjoy!! And as always, comments and feedback are always really helpful for me!

I must have passed out, and for some time too, because when I finally woke up, I was in  an office surrounded with people.              
  
I was alive.   
  
They didn’t kill me.   
  
Levi did all that...to save me.   
  
Hanje was knelt before me, gently dabbing my numb cheek with with a wet cloth. A sympathetic smile broke on her lips.   
  
“Does it hurt?” she asked softly, the crazed exuberance from earlier, gone.   
  
“A little...” I struggled weakly, surprised I could even speak at all. Upon looking around the room, I found Levi leaning against the opposite wall, his arms folded, fixing me with a pointed stare. I gulped and shifted my gaze to the floor.   
  
Erwin, who had been pacing the floor behind Hanje suddenly spoke up.   
  
“Sorry for all that...but the theatrics _did_ get you placed in our custody.” He moved over to stand at Hanje’s side. “Believe me, the pain is worth it.”  
  
He knelt down, locking my gaze with his powerful blue eyes and extended a hand for me to take. “You have my utmost respect. I’m glad to have you on our team.” he spoke with a cold smile. I reached forward, clasping his hand and shaking it vigorously.   
  
“G-glad to be here, sir!”  
  
I didn’t even notice him leave his spot, but next thing I knew, Levi threw himself back on the chaise lounge beside me, draping an arm along the rim of the seat, crossing his legs casually. He craned his neck to look at me, loose pieces of black hair falling over his face. I shifted awkwardly in my place, edging slightly away from him.  
  
What was this guy’s game?  
  
He tells me not to even consider liking him and yet here he is, an inch away from being sprawled over my lap?  
  
“So Eren...” he drawled. My heart beat a little faster on the rare occasion he would address me by my name.  “You don’t resent me now, do you?”  
  
“N-no sir...I see that what you did was necessary.” I mumbled quietly.  
  
“Good. Then you understand.” he nodded passively, closing his eyes in thought, lifting his head away from me.   
  
“Still,” Hanje spoke up. “Don’t you think you went too far? You even knocked his tooth out!”   
  
Levi stole a heated glance to her before resuming his impassive composure.   
  
“I went far enough to persuade them to listen. That’s all that matters.” he explained bluntly. “Now if you don’t mind, I want to talk to the kid... _alone_.” he emphasized the last word, making my heart thump loudly in my chest. Erwin nodded.  
  
“Of course. Hanje?”   
  
The girl rose to her feet and followed Erwin and the other two cadets in the room, outside, shutting the door behind them. Levi stood up and moved over to the door as well. He waited a few moments before turning the handle and checking to see that everyone had gone.  
  
“Thanks for keeping your promise, kid.” he smiled weakly, shutting the door again, turning back to face me. I shrugged, returning the smile.   
  
“I-I knew you had to be doing it for a reason.”   
  
Levi considered, nodding slowly.   
  
“I had a feeling it would come to that. Erwin warned me of the kind of opposition we were up against...the _evidence_ they were going to be holding against you. It was the only solution I could think of and we were pressed for time...which is why I asked you to make that promise to me this morning. I’m sorry it had to come to that, Eren.”   
  
For the first time, I could hear slight pain in his stoic voice.   
  
Did he really...care for me?  
  
“N-no, I’m ok. Honestly....I’m fine.”  
  
“No, you’re not.” he shot back, lifting his eye-line to meet mine. “You’re a fucking mess. And I can see you’re still hurting. So don’t say you’re fine when you’re not.”   
  
I wrung my hands and swallowed.   
  
A thick silence descended over us.   
  
“D-do you think I could maybe see my friends?” I piped up eventually. He flicked a quick glance to me.  
  
“Perhaps. Though that’s not in my power to decide. I can certainly try and persuade Erwin. I don’t see why he wouldn’t let you.”   
  
“Thanks...”   
  
Another awkward silence.   
  
Dammit. “So...um, what now?”  
  
“What now?” he repeated.  
  
“D-do I have to go back to the cell or...” I trailed off, hoping he would fill in for me. He thought for a moment, rubbing a hand to his jaw.   
  
“For now, yes. But considering the new developments we’ve just made, I expect we’ll be moving locations fairly soon. Where, I don’t know.”  
  
My heart sank.   
  
“So I have to be...chained up again?”  
  
“If it were up to me, you wouldn’t be.” he responded, almost bitterly.   
  
Another silence.  
  
The way he said that last sentence...sure it was plastered with the impassive voice I had come to live with, acting like everything meant nothing to him...but I was almost certain I could hear some kind of longing in his voice.  
  
Or maybe it was just my own wishful thinking.   
  
“Come on.” he said eventually. I lifted my head to look at him. “Lets go and find your friends.”   
  
“But I thought you said--“  
  
“Fuck what I said. You need to see them. I can tell, kid. If anyone asks, I can cover for you.”  
  
  
Levi walked with me across from the court to the survey core’s temporary headquarters, into the hall where all the cadets were eating. I searched the room with my eyes, finally landing on Mikasa and Armin. I left Levi’s side, running over to them. Both stood up and came rushing towards me. All three of us hugged tightly, locked in each others arms. It felt so good to be back with them again. Upon pulling away, I found both my friends were close to tears.   
  
“I thought I was going to lose you...” Mikasa whispered.   
  
“Me too.” Armin joined.  
  
“But you didn’t! I’m here! I’m alive!” I cheered, clasping both hands to my chest. Mikasa nodded shakily and flung her arms around me tightly. I heard her breath hitch suddenly. “W-what is it?”  
  
“What the hell is _he_ doing here...” she hissed in disgust. I turned over my shoulder to find Levi standing as I had left him, watching us with his arms folded. Mikasa’s eyes narrowed, sending a venomous glare to Levi. He exchanged glances with her for a moment before turning on his heel and walking off.   
  
My heart sank a little. I didn’t want him to go. “That’s right, bastard. Step away from my little brother.” she growled lowly.   
  
“Mikasa! What Levi did in the courtroom was to help me! If he hadn’t intervened I would have been executed!”  
  
“Bullshit, Eren. There were other ways! He didn’t have to almost kill you to prove a point. I don’t care what anyone says, I don’t trust him. Not one bit.”   
  
“I do.” I mumbled quietly. A concerned glint flashed in her eyes.   
  
“How could you?”  
  
“Because he made me promise me something...”   
  
Two hands were suddenly clamped on my shoulders.   
  
“What did he do to you?!”  
  
“Nothing! He just...he asked me to promise him I understand that everything he does to me is for a reason.”  
“ _Does to you_?” she repeated in disbelief. “What the hell is he planning, the sick fuck!”  
  
“No! It was because he knew he would have to hurt me in the court roo-“  
  
“I don’t care, Eren. Whether he’s in charge of you now or not, you stay as far away as possible from that creep.”  
  
“He’s not a creep, Mikasa!” I shouted. “I lo--“  
  
I managed to catch the word before it completely came out. I bit my tongue, wincing slightly with the pain.   
  
“W-what did you say?”  
  
“I didn’t say anything!”   
  
“You almost said something. What?”  
  
“It doesn’t matter, ok?!” I turned on my heel with a growl, storming away. I could feel Mikasa still glaring after me.   
  
  
I stood outside the hall holding onto my arms.   
  
Me and my big mouth.   
  
I almost admitted it. They almost found out that I liked Levi.  
  
Even though I’m pretty sure Mikasa could have pieced it together anyway.   
  
“Eren?”   
  
I lifted my head. Armin stood hesitating in the doorway. My face relaxed a little, and letting out a small sigh, I dropped my arms. “You want to explain what’s going on?”   
  
“Not particularly.” I grumbled.   
  
“Eren...” he pleaded, suddenly clasping my hands in his and locking my gaze. “Your my best friend. Anything you tell me won’t go beyond us. I promise. You can trust me.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
“Well then, come on and tell me what’s going on. Is this all because of the courtroom ordeal or is there something else...”  
  
I cleared my throat, shifting my gaze to the ground. “Its something else, isn’t it...” He paused in thought. “You like someone, I can tell that much by your pants.”   
  
I blushed bright red and casually tried to cross my leg to hide the slight tightness in my crutch.   
  
“Levi.” I breathed.   
  
“The captain? You like the captain?”   
  
I nodded slowly.    
  
“Its ridiculous, I know.”  
  
“Does he know?”  
  
“No. And I don’t want him to ever know.”   
  
“Why not?”   
  
“Ugh, think about it, Armin! You’re the smart one here!” I said, throwing my head back in frustration. “He’s a corporal and I’m...I’m just some brat that messes shit up. And I know for a fact he doesn’t feel the same way.”  
  
“Do you?”   
  
“He came into my cell the other night to give me his jacket because I was cold. He said then that we didn’t mean anything.” I kept a steady gaze on the floor, following the grooves in the stone tiles with my eyes.   
  
“Don’t give up hope just yet, Eren.” Armin spoke softly, a warm smile on his face. “For all you know, Levi might feel the same way about you too, he just doesn’t show it. Even I can see he hides all his feelings behind this kind of mask that tells everyone he doesn’t care. But there might be love behind that mask somewhere, Eren. You just have to find it.”  
  
Damn Armin and his way with words.   
  
“You really think so?”  
  
“Mhm! But Eren,” his voice dropped slightly, a grave tone breaking through. “Remember that love is not our priority. Saving humanity is. Once we eradicate all the titans, then we can focus on our own lives again. But until then, just...I don’t want to deny how you feel, but...don’t let it take over your life. We need your focus on the battlefield, not on another guy’s ass. Love can be your own worst enemy, Eren. I don’t want to see it brake you like that.”  
  
I nodded slowly. As much as I hated to say it, Armin was right.   
  
I couldn’t let this whim become an obsession. I was let into the survey core on the terms that I could successfully complete a mission. And if I failed, I would not only be putting my life on the line, but Levi’s too, since he was the one so adamant to keep me alive.   
  
And I'd break the vow I promised myself I would keep to.   
  
To stay in his shadow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first official Ereri action in the next one. Much fluff. Much wow.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi comes back to Eren's cell, guilty for doing what he did in the courtroom and gives Eren his most treasured possession in a hope to win his trust.  
> But that's not all Levi has in store-seems Eren gets more than he first bargained for. ;3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter 5!  
> In this chapter-FINALLY-we have the start of some official ereri business (you'll see what I mean by the end of the chapter ;3c)  
> Also, the events/exchanges in this chapter will be important for later on in the story~you won't be able to see the connection just yet but in a few chapters time, it should become clear.  
> As always, enjoy and feedback/comments are always greatly appreciated!!  
> Thanks! *3*

It didn’t take long before one of the scouts found me to escort me back to that dreaded cell.  
  
I figured struggling was useless. It’d only raise suspicion-which was not a smart idea since I was far from being on equal terms with a lot of people. And it’d not change the inevitable.  
  
I was staying in that cell whether I liked it or not.  
  
And so, for the third night in a row, I found myself lying on the rigid bed, shivering from the cold-that the thin bed sheet did nothing for.  
  
“Oi, kid.”  
  
I sat up with an internal grin.  
  
“Corporal!”  
  
“Tch, calm down. I’m not fucking Santa Clause.” he retorted with a roll of his eyes.  
  
“Sorry.”  
  
“Don’t be.” he interjected. “And before you ask, no, I’m not on watch. I’m here because I want to talk with you.”  
  
I felt my heart flutter.  
  
“O-okay.”  
  
“So...I’ve been thinking about what happened in the courtroom.” he began. “And I figured, even though you did keep your promise, you have no right to fully trust me-not after seeing what I could do to you.”  
  
He paused and let out a sigh, passing a hand to his mouth in thought, as if he had to deeply consider what he did next.  
  
Levi pulled the ring of keys from his belt and slotted the same rusty key from the night before into the lock of the cell door. He took slow steps towards me, his face cast completely in shadow. He reached behind his back; I could see the muscles in his lower arm tense slightly-he’d found purchase on something. He drew a small, worn knife out, the blade catching in the soft glow of the torches.  
  
I held my breath, my heart ceasing to beat. My eyes grew wide as he continued to approach me. He stopped beside the bed and even in the poor lighting, I could see his eyebrows fly up in surprise. Levi dropped his arm, his lips parting in concern.  
  
“Shit, kid are you ok? What’s wrong?”  
  
I stared at the blade, my chest rising and falling rapidly. “What, you think I’m going to use this on you? After all that shit in the courtroom, you think I’d _really_ go and kill you _now_?”  
  
He had a point.  
  
“S-so you’re _not_ going to kill me?” I faltered, no louder than a whisper.  
  
“Fucking hell, Eren! No!” he snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Wow, you really don’t trust me at all, do you? Even after you made your promise.”  
  
I couldn’t argue with that. I honestly believed, in that moment, Levi was going to end my life.

His frustration, ironically, calmed my nerves. His face relaxed a little, his shoulders sagging. “I’m sorry.” he began softly. “I shouldn’t have just rushed in like that without an explanation...fuck...of course you had every reason to be afraid of me. And with that promise, if you _didn’t_ mean it, that’s ok. I wouldn’t blame you. Just...please don’t lie to me.”  
  
I nodded.  
  
“I wasn’t lying.”  
  
I was beginning to feel safe again, though, with the knife still tightly clutched in his hand, I couldn’t say I was fully at ease just yet.  Levi flicked his gaze up to me through hooded eyes. A smile twitched on his mouth.  
  
“Thanks for the sentiment, kid, but I still don’t buy it. But hopefully this’ll help.”  
  
He sat down at the bottom of the bed, turning the knife over in his palm tenderly. “I fucked this up so let me try again.”  
  
I smiled encouragingly to him. I could see the gesture was appreciated. “So, to save you the trouble of a shitty, depressing backstory, all you need to know is that I grew up without either of my parents. My uncle took me in when I was just a kid and kinda raised me as his own.”  
  
Wait.  
  
Was Levi opening up to me?  
  
“He gave me this knife when I was small...” I couldn’t help but smile. He suddenly snapped his eyes up to meet mine. “If you make a short joke now, brat, I might reconsider using this on you.” he resumed an impassive expression and continued. “But that’s not the point. This knife, sure it looks like nothing, but to me...this is the most precious thing in the world. He gave me it to fight, to defend myself and he even scratched in a quote along the hilt that I’ve...that I’ve kept by all my life.”  
  
Levi twisted the knife horizontally. “It says, ‘As long as it feels right to you, do it’. Read whatever the hell you want into it.” he shrugged. “But never mind that. I wanted...I wanted you to have it.”  
  
My mouth dropped open a little as he extended the knife towards me. I blinked.  
  
“W-what? Why?”  
  
“Because, if I give you my most prized possession, hopefully it’ll help you put some faith in me and see how much trust I put in you by doing it. I know its corny as hell but...well, I figured it might work.” he rolled his shoulders dismissively, but I could feel the embarrassment beginning to flare in his cheeks. “I know you still have no right to trust me and if you don’t want to take it, I won’t be offended.”  
  
He searched my eyes for some kind of indication of how I felt.  
  
I didn’t know what to say.  
  
“No...of course I’ll take it. I just...are you sure you really want to give away the _one_ thing that matters most to you?”  
  
“I trust you, kid. And I want you to trust me too.”  
  
Was this real?  
  
Was Levi really saying this?  
  
I hesitantly reached out, the shackles chinking as I did so. I clasped both hands around the blade, Levi slipping his hands away as I drew the knife towards me. I sat in awed silence, admiring all the dents and scratches and gashes all over the worn crimson hilt of the knife. The blade glimmered in the light, the metal rusting near the hilt.  
  
“I-its beautiful...” I whispered.  
  
“Tch. Well, its yours now. Take good care of it, ok?”  
  
I nodded absently.  
  
“I will. I promise.”  
  
“You might want to show that to your sister too.” he said, standing up.  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“I know how little she thinks of me-the looks she’s given me since the courtroom? I don’t think anything will change how much she hates me-and I don’t blame her-but tell her I gave this to you. Tell her what it means to me if you like. I want her to know you can trust me too.”  
  
He nodded his head, a weak smile tugging at his lips.  
  
“B-but why do you care so much?” I started. “Why go to all this length just for me? I-I’m just some kid, some _brat_ -you said it yourself.” I said, glancing to the floor. “All I’ll do is get you in trouble. I’m not worth your time, corporal. You could have been killed in the courtroom because of me...you could have been arrested for seeing me every night...so why do you care so much?”  
  
I could feel him watching me. My grip tightened on the knife as I heard his footsteps drawing closer. Suddenly, my chin was snapped up and I was forced to look into those stone cold, blue eyes.  
  
Those beautiful and haunting eyes.  
  
Before I knew it, his lips were on mine, forcing their way inside my mouth. My eyes grew wide.  
  
I was almost sure my heart was no longer beating.  
  
Levi dropped forward, smacking a hand to the wall behind me, keeping himself balanced there as his tongue now curled around the roof of my mouth, dominating every sensation of my body. I practically melted into the kiss, lifting an arm to wrap around his back before the tug on the shackles quickly reminded me that wasn’t happening. Levi lowered himself further to compensate. He scooped his other arm underneath me, gripping tightly to the small of my back as loose pieces of hair fell part by part over his face. I gasped for breath but the man didn’t let me recover for long before swallowing my panting in another enveloping kiss. I launched one hand to Levi’s head, fisting at fine tufts of his raven hair, trying to ignore the massive boner I was beginning to feel. 

Levi drew away, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his lips moist. His hair hung messily over his face, a slight color in his pale cheeks. He pulled back completely, wiping a hand to his mouth.  
  
“That answer your question, kid?” he mused breathlessly.  
  
I sat looking at him dumbfounded.  
  
What the actual fuck just happened.  
  
“D-did you...did we...”  
  
A wry smile was the only response I got. He turned on his heel and made to leave. Levi paused at the cell door and glanced back over his shoulder.  
  
“You’re drooling, brat. You might want to wipe it off.”  
  
I slapped a hand to the corner of my mouth, rubbing away the saliva that was dribbling down my chin. I blushed furiously and watched Levi disappear from sight.  
  
We...kissed.  
  
We actually _kissed_.  
  
And not only that, _he_ was the one to start it.  
  
I flopped back on the bed, unable to suppress the giddy grin from my face any longer, clutching onto Levi’s knife with trembling hands. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So ereri action is officially here! But what's a crush without a love triangle? Seems Eren isn't the only one who has their eye on Levi.  
> Find out who next time...


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things begin to heat up when Levi finds himself with another admirer aside from Eren. It would seem Erwin also has his eye on Levi but is the feeling reciprocated?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter 6!   
> As promised, here is where the tension truly begins to take off and our infamous love triangle arises.   
> This chapter is written from Levi's POV for a change too.   
> Just as a heads up, there is implied nsfw in this chapter~  
> Enjoy and as per usual, any comments/feedback are super helpful for me!!  
> Thanks! :D

_Levi_  
  
I fucked up.   
  
Badly.   
  
What the hell was I thinking? I kissed the brat-full on!   
  
I hastened as fast as I could away from the cell, passing a hand to my head. Sure, I had a little to drink before I came down there-mostly to calm my own nerves about giving the kid my knife, since I couldn’t say how he’d react-but surely the alcohol hadn’t fucked with me to the point where I wanted to _willingly press my lips to his_.   
  
Right?  
  
I slammed the door to my quarters shut behind me, fumbling to lock it, save anyone should have found me in such a disgusting state. My hair was still messy from where the brat had pulled at it, I was willing to bet there was still some color in my cheeks and my pants certainly weren’t acting as much of a cover up of what I’d just done. I poured another glass of whiskey.   
  
Could it really be possible that I actually had _feelings_ for the kid?  
  
I was never sentimental. Ever. I never knew whether that was Kenny’s influence or just a habit I adopted while living as a rogue underground.   
  
Either way, I was still in complete denial that I would even consider liking the shitty brat. I’d never felt this strongly about anyone since I met Isobel and Farlan, and even then, despite the fact that they were the most important people in my life...they were always just friends to me.   
  
Then there was Erwin...my feelings for him were torn. Sure he was smart, had a rock hard figure like some kind of sex god and he could give a good kiss, but there was no attraction. No chemistry. Just lust-and I learned that all too quickly.   
  
But with Eren...this was different. The moment I looked into those eyes, those huge, deep abysses of green and swirling turquoise, I felt almost hypnotized.   
  
I could lose myself in those eyes.   
  
And not just because of my height deficit.   
  
He was easily the most beautiful creature I’d laid eyes on. The way his chestnut hair fell flawlessly over his golden, sun kissed skin. The way his innocent smile could light up the darkest of moods-including my own. The way his shirt sometimes clung to his chest, revealing the suggestion of toned muscles. But his perfect body aside, the kid had a good heart and I could tell that everything he did, he did for the benefit of others-even if it meant getting himself hurt in the process.   
  
Tch-sure he was stupid sometimes, he lost his temper all too quickly, and he permanently acted like a fucking brat _all_ the fucking time...but I wanted him to be _my_ brat.   
  
I suddenly slammed the glass of whiskey on the table, smashing it into several fragments on the desk, the spilled liquid snaking around the broken pieces. I stared at the shards wide eyed.  
  
Did I honestly just think that?   
  
Did the thought of Eren being... _mine_ really cross my mind?  
  
Fuck.   
  
One glance down to my pants was enough to reassure me of the truth.   
  
I had a hard on for a 15 year old.   
  
I liked Eren Jaeger.   
  
A rap at the door suddenly snapped me back into sense. I whipped my head round, eyeing the door guardedly.   
  
“What the hell do you want?”   
  
“Levi?” Erwin’s voice sounded from the other side of the door. I closed my eyes, letting out a silent frustrated sigh. “Is everything ok in there? I thought I heard something smash...”   
  
I shot a glance to the broken glass on the desk.   
  
“Its fine. Now piss off, I’m trying to sleep.” I said lowly, not even trying to hide the irritation in my voice. I heard the door handle rattle. He was trying to get in. I flicked my eyeline up to the door and grimaced.   
  
“Levi, why did you lock the door?”   
  
“Because I don’t want you coming in here and disturbing my sleep, dumbass.”  
  
“Why are you lying to me, Levi? I thought you were always so adamant against lying.”   
  
“What the hell would I be lying about?” I retorted dryly.   
  
“Come on, we both know you never sleep. Suffering from insomnia was one of the first things I learned about you. Why don’t you open the door and tell me what’s really the matter?”   
  
My ass he was coming in here.   
  
“No. Now leave me the fuck alone.” I cupped one hand over the edge of the table and began brushing the shards of glass off the edge of the table with my other hand.   
  
“Levi.” he said with an amused lilt in his voice. “You know full well I could break this door down if you won’t let me in.”  
  
“What are you, the big bad wolf?” I mused, cupping the shards and dropping them in a makeshift bin in the corner of the room.   
  
“I can _help_ you, Levi.” his voice dropped an octave and through the thick wooden door I could feel his powerful blue eyes staring in my direction. “I’ve helped you before...let me do it again.”   
  
Fuck him and his goddamn manipulation.   
  
I stormed over to the door, snapping the lock the other way and swinging open the door. I turned away at once, not even bothering to wait for him to come inside. I moved back over to the desk, clearing away the smaller pieces of glass that I’d missed first time around. I could feel Erwin standing behind me.   
  
“What the hell do you want?”   
  
“You.”   
  
I tried to keep myself composed and continued cleaning the desk. Suddenly two heavy hands were clamped on my shoulders, swiveling me round to face him. I turned my head away, casting a heated glance to the floor. “Come now, Levi” he soothed. “Something’s praying on your mind. Tell me what it is. Perhaps I need to exhaust you a bit first before you want to talk?”   
  
I slapped his wrist, freeing myself of his grip.   
  
“You disgust me.” I spat. “And I don’t have to tell you shit.”  
  
“But I’d _like_ you to.” he continued in the same liquid voice.   
  
“I’ve just had a shitty day, ok?” I lied as convincingly as I could-convincing enough for him to buy it. With one easy stride, Erwin passed a hand delicately to my face, cupping my cheek with a weak smile.   
  
“Haven’t we all. Come, how about I help you forget about it?”  
  
“I’m not in the mood!” I snapped, recoiling away from him.   
  
“You never are, Levi.” he said with a defeated sigh.   
  
“And I never will be, so you’d better get fucking used to it.” I made to turn back to cleaning my desk when a hand gripped my wrist.   
  
“Is that any way to speak to your commander? I think I may have to punish you for speaking to me like that.”   
  
Before I could protest, Erwin hoisted me up in his arms and pushed me against the door, clicking it shut behind me as his lips were on mine, heatedly fighting his way inside my mouth. Too weak in proportion to Erwin to protest, and being suspended in such a compromising position, I had no choice but submit. I reluctantly slipped one hand under the man’s thick head of hair, gripping the neck of his shirt and returning the kiss. His head moved slowly and sensually, rolling it to the side to fully take domination over my mouth. I closed my eyes, avoiding looking into those eyes.  
  
Those eyes that’d trap me, just like they’d trapped me too many times before.   
  
I heard the chinking and slipping of leather, the tugging of the straps at my waist, as Erwin slid his hands down my sides and began unbuckling my harness. Trying to stop the bastard would be in vein and at the time, I was still struggling to get my breath back from his all consuming kiss.   
  
I held my eyes shut tightly as I felt the cold draft wash over my bare legs. The straps quickly fell from my shoulders, landing with a small clink as they hit the floor. I lolled my head back against the door, clenching my jaw in anger and frustration at my own helplessness as he began to unbutton my shirt.   
  
Completely naked, a shiver ran up my spine.   
  
“Levi...” his voice melted an inch away from me. “Look at me. Look at me, Levi.”  
  
Like hell I would. “I like you very much...you know that.” I didn’t need to see him to know a wry smile was struck across his lips. “And I know you must feel something for me...or you wouldn’t have let me in.”   
  
Goddamn him.   
  
My eyes flew open in rage. I opened my mouth to protest otherwise when suddenly I realized I’d fell right into his trap. My mouth fell open slightly, silence pouring out of it.   
  
I stared absently into the icy void of his cold blue eyes, capturing me in their mystery and slyness.   
  
When I finally snapped back into sense, Erwin was as bare as I was, eyeing my levelly. I locked my jaw and held a breath, knowing exactly what was coming.   
  
A silent moan died on my lips as he began thrusting hips into me, pressing my ass square against the cold wood of the door. I instinctively slipped two arms around his back, digging into the skin with my nails. The pain only seemed to spur him on, a smirk tugging at the edge of his lips. I gasped breathlessly as a heavy throbbing began to travel up from my cock. His lips claimed mine once again, swallowing my weak breaths.  
  
“I only want to make you happy, Levi.” he said, panting slightly.  “I try my best, honestly.” He spoke in a low, sincere whisper.   
  
For all I hated Erwin, reciprocated none of the feelings he seemed to feel for me, on the occasion I let him fuck me, I couldn’t argue that it was good. He knew what he was doing. To him, I was some kind of puppet and all he had to do was pull the right strings. He knew full well it was almost impossible to win me over using just words and sentiments alone, so he turned to physical methods.   
  
And it worked like a fucking charm.   
  
And for the brief moment it lasted, the brief moment where all my senses were blurred and it was if only he and I existed in the world, I didn’t want it to end.   
  
But it did. And all too quickly.   
  
Erwin drew away, as composed and unfazed as he had been before, eyeing me with an amused glint in his eyes. He loosened his grip around my waist, letting me slide back down to the floor. “I told you so.”   
  
I glared to him darkly through hooded eyes, too angry to speak, instead waiting for an explanation. The knowing smile returned on his lips. “That you feel something for me too. You’ve came all over the floor.”   
  
Erwin put his clothes back on and watched me cast a horrified glance down to the ground to find a small sticky puddle underneath where I had been suspended almost moments ago.   
  
“That’s your fault, bastard! Now my floor’s filthy!” I snapped, clenching my fists into tight balls. “What are you still doing here?! Get the fuck out of my room!” I growled, shoving Erwin with all my might towards the door. To my surprise, he let me, and stood in the entrance, his head craned over his shoulder, revealing his beautifully sculpted neck muscles.   
  
But there was no way I was getting a hard on over him after he made me come on my own floor.   
  
“Don’t go blaming me. You’re the one who let me in here, remember?” he teased.   
  
I gritted my teeth. There was only so much shit I had to deal with.   
  
“Only because you threatened to break my damn door down if I didn’t!”   
  
“No need to be so aggressive, Levi.” he said impassively, fixing me with a cold stare.  “Pity you use your anger on petty arguments rather than in the bedroom.”   
  
The sick fuck.   
  
I slammed the door in his face, snapping the lock shut and wedging a chair before it, incase he really did get any ideas about braking down the door.   
  
With a sigh, I turned to the puddle of come and, once all my clothes were back on again, set to work, cleaning it up.    
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drama? Of course, this is the survey corps. Next time, tension continues to rise as Erwin finds out about Levi's knife and the team move to the new headquarters. And it seems Levi has yet another surprise in store for Eren-what could it be?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A petty fight with Jean quickly escalates for Eren as all the scouts, including Commander Erwin finds out about Levi's knife. Also, the survey corps relocate to their new head quarters and it would seem Levi has another surprise in store for Eren-but what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Welcome to chapter 7-thanks for sticking with me this far, it really means a lot!  
> I hope you're enjoying the story so far-if you are, let me know in the comments!! Any feedback is always super helpful to me! ^0^  
> Just as a heads up, like with a few other chapters, this one contains some lifted dialogue from the show, which I own nothing of and, well, you know the score :3  
> So...following the uncomfortable events in the last chapter, how will everyone react now?  
> Read on and find out :0

The two guards outside my cell ushered me out the next morning and took me across to the dining hall in the military head quarters where I found Mikasa and Armin.  
  
I was greeted warmly with hugs from both of them. We took our seats at the long benches.   
  
I had Levi’s knife safely hidden under my skirt. I’d take it out in a few minutes and explain to both of them what happened the night before-excluding the kiss of course. I still couldn’t believe that even happened.   
I would show them the knife and assure them they could trust Levi as much as I did.   
  
But unfortunately, it’d seem my amazing fortune of last night up until this point quickly ended as I heard the unmistakable snickering from Jean beside me.   
  
“Well, well, well...look who it is.”  
  
“Shut up, horse-face.”   
  
“Huh, even after being locked up in a cell and having the corporal beat the shit outta you, you’re _still_ an asshole.”  
  
“And you’re _not_? Who asked you, Jean? Shut up now or I might turn into a titan on you.”  
  
“Pfff _that’s_ a smart move.” he retorted.   
  
“Don’t push me, asshole.” I growled, clenching my fists into balls on the table.   
  
“Eren...” Mikasa warned.  
  
“Wow, what crawled up _your_ ass, Jaeger?” Jean raised an eyebrow.   
  
“Something more than Marco did yours.” I shot back.   
  
“Eren!” Mikasa warned again.   
  
I could see the pain flash across Jean’s eyes.   
  
“You leave him out of this, shithead!”  
  
“Takes one to know one.” I sneered.   
  
Playing with Jean’s emotions felt so good in that one moment. All I had to do was mention Marco and he’d crumble.   
  
Next thing I knew I was on the floor, my cheek fizzing with the impact of Jean’s fist to my jaw. He grappled aimlessly with me on the ground swinging clumsy blows all over my body. I fought back, tugging at his shirt and his hair, returning punches back at him.   
  
“Stop that at once!” A voice bellowed through the hall, bouncing sharply off every wall.   
  
Both Jean and I snapped our heads up.   
  
Erwin stood at the entrance of the hall, fixing us with a dark stare. Levi stood at his side, looking to me pointedly.   
  
Jean and I simultaneously scrambled to our feet, clumsily performing the wings of freedom salute.  
  
Shit. We were in trouble. “Jaeger.” Erwin began, his voice softer but still as powerful as before.   
  
“S-sir!”  
  
“Would you care to explain what’s going on here?”   
  
His glance suddenly shifted away from my eye-line, returning a moment later. I noticed Levi’s face grow pale. “Or perhaps the more appropriate question is, explain what _that_ is.”   
  
Following Erwin’s gaze, I looked down in horror to find Levi’s knife lying a little way from where I stood.   
  
It must have slipped out from under my skirt when Jean was fighting with me!  
  
But what could I say? If I told them the truth, it’d only get Levi in trouble as well as me, and if I lied, I knew they’d be able to see through it before I even finished my sentence.   
  
“Wow, you’re so fucking careless, Jaeger.” Levi’s voice suddenly spoke up. He strode confidently across the room, collected the knife from the ground and whipped out a rag from his pocket, wiping the blade along the cloth. “The floor is filthy. The least you can do is keep this clean.”   
  
The whole hall looked on in silent confusion.   
  
Erwin included.  
  
“Levi, you knew about this?”   
  
“Course I did.” he deadpanned. “Considering I’m the one who _gave_ it to him.”  
  
The silence was deafening. “Don’t look so surprised. You were all there in the courtroom. You saw how weak he is-I can kick him about like a toy and he’ll put up no kind of fight.” he explained indifferently.  “And since I’ve been put in charge of the brat, I’ve decided to give him extra training-because boy does he fucking need it.”   
  
I gulped and watched as he extended the knife out to me, eyeing me impassively. “Next time, don’t be so reckless.” he said curtly. I reached out a hand to take the blade. We both held onto it, his grip lingering on the knife a moment longer, exchanging glances with me. A flash in his eyes told me he was pissed for making him lie like that in front of everyone, including his superior, but the soft glint also told me he had my back, because it was the same glance he shot me in the courtroom.   
  
“I-I apologize, sir. It will not happen again.” I struggled as rigidly as I could. My knees trembled beneath me as all the eyes in the room were fixed in my direction.   
  
“Tch-I’d hope not, for your sake.” He dismissed with a roll of his eyes, spinning on his heel and moving back to Erwin’s side.   
  
“Very well.” Erwin bowed his head. “Jean, sit back down. Eren, you’re coming with us.”  
  
His voice was smooth but an edge of threat was still there.   
  
Jean shrunk back to his seat, leaving me the only one standing in the centre of the room. I flicked my glance to Erwin. He acknowledged my concern and bowed his head. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing bad. I’ll explain on the way.”   
  
I nodded and sheepishly followed Erwin and Levi out of the hall.  
  


 

“Moving?”  
  
“Mhm.” Erwin nodded, leading the way through the corridors. Levi walked silently on one side of him, myself on the other. “We’re relocating the survey core’s headquarters. There’s an old abandoned castle a little way from here. We used it as the headquarters some time ago but we were forced to leave.”  
  
“H-how come?”  
  
“A wave of titans. We fled as quickly as we could, even though some of the castle still suffered damage. We lost some men in the process also. But with you on our side, Eren, as well as Levi and his squad, we can reclaim the castle in the security that if the same happens again, we are ready to attack...and _win_ this time.”  
  
Levi said nothing during all of this, instead looking straight ahead, the usual unreadable expression plastered across his face.   
  
We reached the entrance of the building. “Now then.” Erwin began, turning to face us. “Eren, go to the stables and find yourself a horse.”   
  
Jean’s ugly mug popped into my mind.

No, not _that_ kind of horse.  
  
I shook my head, snapping back into sense.   
  
“U-uh, where are they, sir?”  
  
“Keep walking straight until the end of the building. Turn left and there’ll be a whole row of stables. Pick a horse and get yourself ready. Levi and I will join you shortly.”  
  
I didn’t question why they had to follow behind and instead, set off, sticking to Erwin’s directions.   
  
I waited a good ten minutes before the other two finally showed up. Levi’s face looked slightly pale, a grimace breaking through his impassiveness. I began to wonder what it was Erwin had pulled Levi back to talk about-whatever it was, it seemed to have disturbed Levi to the point where there was expression in his face.   
  
They mounted their horses, Erwin leading the way forward. Levi and I followed behind. I swallowed and looked away. I wasn’t sure where we stood, and whether Erwin knew of any of the things we did.   
  
We rode the whole journey in silence, galloping swiftly under arched trees, finally reaching a clearing where the tips of the tall, grand spires of the old castle finally came into view.   
Upon approaching closer, the cobweb-ridden windows and the dirt and dust caked walls, that were apparently white once upon a time, stood, on the verge of crumbling, the intense sunlight wearing away at the stone. I couldn’t deny that this place was beautiful, even through all the dirt and damage. And it was undeniably the perfect headquarters for the likes of the survey core.    
  
The rest of Levi’s squad were already at the castle when we arrived, each one of them an elite, skilled fighter, effortlessly putting me to shame with my own abilities.   
  
Once I met everyone, a heavy hand was clamped on my shoulder. I spun round to find Erwin looking down at me.   
  
“C-commander.”  
  
“Eren, if you’ll come with me, I can show you where you’ll be staying.” I nodded and followed him inside the old castle.  
The interior of the castle was strung with low-hanging cobwebs, fallen over beams obstructing our path. I followed Erwin carefully as he led the way through the castle, down further into the depths of the building.   
  
“C-commander?” I spoke up. “Where exactly /am/ I going to be staying?”  
  
“Ideally, we’d want you staying with the other scouts, but for legal purposes you have to be kept in the basement.”   
  
My heart sank.   
  
“A-again?” I muttered, apparently loud enough for him to hear.  
  
“I’m afraid so. But with any luck, its only a temporary measure. Just until you can prove you aren’t the monster everyone’s making you out to be.”  
  
“Yeah...” I looked to the ground with a frown. It hurt when he said that. I knew it already, but to hear Erwin say it like that, stung.   
  
The basement was dark-since there were no windows-and required the light of a torch. Erwin strode forward, holding the torch high, casting the immediate surroundings in a flickery orange glow. Eery shadows crept along the walls as the light silhouetted random objects.   
  
He stopped before a wooden door, a metal lock on the side of it. Unlike the cell I was in before, there were no bars and I couldn’t see through the other side. It was a fully opaque wooden door.   
Erwin pulled out a ring of keys and sifted through them until he found the right key, slotting it in the rusty lock. He rattled it around in the lock, twisting it until a click was heard and the door swung open. A damp, rotten room, a little smaller than the cell before, was revealed in the dim light of the torch.   
  
“Obviously the state of this place is more than disreputable-I’m sure Levi will have more than a word or too to say on this.” he mused. “I promise it’ll look a lot better once its been cleaned up. We’re keeping you here for your own protection, Eren.”   
  
I nodded. I trusted Erwin almost as much as I trusted Levi, so I had to believe that what he was saying was true.

  
  
I was quickly placed on cleaning duty  with the other scouts and set to work, restoring the castle back to its former glory. I cleaned the upper floors with a friendly auburn haired girl who I learned was called Petra. She told me all about Levi and his strange antics, some of which I couldn’t help but stifle a laugh to.   
  
“Story goes, he was quite the rogue before joining the scouts. A high roller in the capital’s black market.” she mused, leaning on her broom.  
  
Levi? A rogue? Impossible.   
  
“H-how the hell did he...I mean...”   
  
“No clue.” Petra chuckled. “Folks talk but who knows what _really_ went on.  The most popular version involves Erwin.”  
  
A shiver scuttled up my spine. “They say he _dragged_ him to the scouts kicking and screaming.”  
  
“T-the commander?”  
  
Just at that moment, as if on cue, Levi appeared from round the corner with a frown.   
  
“What’s going on?”  
  
“S-sir.” I stood up straight, my heart fluttering.   
  
“Your cleaning is disreputable. Do it all again. Petra, upstairs now.”   
  
“Yes, sir.” the girl nodded and left. Levi strode over to me, eyeing me pointedly.   
  
“I assume Erwin already showed you where you’ll be staying?”  
  
“Y-yes. In the basement-again.”  
  
“Good. I’ll be there later, then.”  
  
My mouth dropped open slightly, wanting to ask more questions, but before I could even speak, Levi was gone. My heart beat a little faster, a small grin on my face.   
  
What surprise could he have in store for me this time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Levi reveals his surprise to Eren and it doesn't quite go the way he intends it too. (Warning: Fluffy feels ahead ;-; )


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi takes Eren up to the rooftop of the survey core headquarters and inadvertently ends up revealing all about his past and Isabel and Farlarn. Much fluff, much feels ;-; you have been warned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!! Welcome to chapter 8!  
> I'll admit, this was definitely my favourite chapter to write-just because of the difference in Levi's character (you'll see what I mean when you read it)  
> And as it says in the description, this one's pretty feelsy (with some fluff too :3)  
> So enjoy! And remember to let me know what you think-any feedback is always super awesome!!

When I was escorted back down to the basement, the walls were now lined with torches, the cobwebs and fallen over beams, all gone.  
The room was clean and looked much more appealing than it did a few hours before. The mold had been scrubbed away and the torch inside the room shed some friendly light on the place. Unfortunately, as good as the room had looked on a first glance, the shackles just above the bed quickly reminded me that I was still a prisoner no one trusted.  
  
I reluctantly allowed the two scouts who escorted me down, to chain me back up, after just getting used to being out of restraints.  
  
And once again, I found myself alone with my thoughts and caged like some kind of animal. At least with the other cell, I could see out through the bars. This time I was faced with a heavy wooden door-no seeing in, no seeing out.  
  
I sighed deeply and looked to the torch on the wall as my only source of amusement. I watched how the flame danced, different intensities of colour swirling in and out of each other. The core of the flame glowed bright orange, the colour losing its opacity as it reached the tips.  
  
A chink of metal outside the door suddenly snapped my attention back to focus. The lock rattled and the door was swung open.  
  
“Captain!”  
  
“Keep your voice down.” he snapped lowly, striding into the room, shutting the door behind him. He came over to the bed and fiddled with the ring of keys in his hand until he found the one he was looking for.  
  
What was he doing?  
  
I watched him curiously as he reached behind me and slotted the lock into the shackles. The two clamps around my wrists suddenly fell loose and dropped onto the bed. I looked to Levi, confused.  
  
“W-what are you--“  
  
“You’ll see-just keep your mouth shut.” he interrupted with a sharp whisper, grabbing my hand and pulling me firmly to my feet.  
  
I followed blindly, open mouthed, as Levi led me swiftly through the castle, up several flights of stairs, finally reaching the top floor. He paused before leading me out onto the rooftop, letting go of my hand.  
  
“Levi...”  
  
He turned back to me for a moment, extending his hand out. I gingerly took it and followed him across the rooftop. Levi let go of my hand and swung his legs over the side of the drop. I hesitantly copied him, glancing down to the bottomless darkness below us. I lifted my gaze back to the man beside me. He stared absently across the sky, the wind lightly whipping up his hair. I wondered what was going through those cold, narrowed eyes of his.  
  
“I guess you’re probably wondering why I brought you out here, right?” he spoke up eventually, his gaze still fixed on the sky in front of him.  
  
“I am a _little_ confused.”  
  
A short smile appeared on his lips, disappearing just as fast.  
  
“Look at the sky. What do you see?”  
  
I craned my neck and frowned.  
  
“Just...clouds.”  
  
Levi nodded, also looking up. The clouds rolled on, beginning to clear. Suddenly, a mass of twinkling stars revealed themselves, each one brighter than the last, stretching beyond where we could see. My mouth dropped open, looking around in complete awe. I’d never seen such a beautiful sight in all my life-and it was like Levi knew the clouds were going to part at that exact moment. I could feel him watching me. I turned to him with a huge grin.  
  
“Pretty neat, huh.”  
  
“Levi...they’re....they’re beautiful...” I trailed off, looking back to the sky. “How did you know it would do that?”  
  
“Because while everything else changes over the years, the stars will never change.” he said with a sad smile. I frowned slightly.  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
The man bowed his head with a sigh. He passed a hand through his hair and swallowed.  
  
Whatever he was about to say wasn’t going to be easy for him.  
  
“You know the knife I gave you...”  
  
“T-this?” I removed the blade from under my skirt and held it out. Levi nodded.  
  
“I gave it to you because I wanted your trust in me and now I need yours. I’ve never told anyone first hand how I joined the scouts just because...well, its painful for me to remember it. You may or may not have heard the rumors of how Erwin was the one who dragged me here all those years ago. And its true. He did. But he also dragged my friends with me-and before you say anything, _yes_ I had friends, brat.” he snapped, eyeing me with a short heated glance before looking away again.  
  
“W-what are their names?” I asked hesitantly.  
  
“You mean what _were_ their names.”  
  
Oh.  
  
Shit.  
  
A heavy silence descended over us. “Isabel Magnolia and Farlan Church.” he spoke up eventually. “They were the closest thing to family I ever knew...and I loved them more than I’ve loved anything else. This place used to be the old headquarters when we got signed up to join the scouts. Every night, the three of us would sit up here, just like I am with you now, and we’d watch the stars.” He reached out a hand towards the sky. “Those three stars...you see em?”  
  
I followed his line of vision and found three stars tightly aligned in a row, the two outer stars shining brightly, the middle star, smaller and dimmer.  
  
Levi gave a short, sad laugh. “They used to tease me by saying I was the middle star because I was the shortest. But they were always so much more optimistic than I was, always so positive. Even on their last mission...they had so much faith in me to split off and...the titan...I was....I was...” Levi choked, cupping a hand to his mouth. His back trembled slightly and I could soon hear the sounds of muffled sobbing, his head turned away from me.  
  
“L-levi?” his name died on my lips. I couldn’t believe this was real. Levi was...crying.  
  
I hesitated for a moment before doing the only thing that seemed right in that moment. I flung myself around the man, holding onto him as tightly as I could. I wanted to squeeze all the pain out of him, rid all his suffering and replace it with how much I cared about him. Levi didn’t deserve to feel like that.  
  
I felt his whole body tense up for a few moments before he relaxed weakly into my embrace. He groaned and wiped his eyes with his wrists.  
  
“Fuck, I’m such a mess.” he growled.  
  
“It’s ok...”  
  
“No-it’s not!” he shot back. “You...you shouldn’t have to see me like this.”  
  
“You shouldn’t have to _feel_ like this to start with.” I gripped Levi’s hand tightly, locking his gaze.  
  
He needed to know how much I cared. Whether gripping his hand like that was out of place didn’t matter. My emotions were too strong to even care about that. Levi looked to my hand before staring to me with reddened eyes. Tears shimmered in the corner of his blue eyes. And for the first time, the mask was gone.  
  
This was the real Levi.  
  
He wasn’t hiding. “Your past shouldn’t have you acting like this. What happened with your friends, Levi, I’m sure it wasn’t your faul--“  
  
“You weren’t there! You don’t understand...they _trusted_ me and I let them down. I missed the titan because of the fog and...w-when I came back they were...” a silent gasp left Levi’s throat, his eyes widening slightly. Painful memories were flooding back to him. I didn’t even think twice and cupped both hands to Levi’s face, kissing him as hard and passionately as I could. He let out a small noise of surprise before weakly kissing back, passing a gentle hand to my face. I moved one of my hands to wipe away the tears rolling down his pale cheeks.  
  
“Please don’t cry, Levi.” I said softly. He shook his head with a sigh.  
  
“I’m sorry. Shit, it wasn’t supposed to go like that. I didn’t think I would break down...I’ve just...never spoken about them for the best part of 13 years now.”  
  
“Sometimes its good to talk about it.” I smiled.  
  
He returned the smile weakly.  
  
“You’re a good kid, Eren.” he said, wiping the last few tears from his eyes. “Congratulations on being one of the only people to actually see the real me. The whole ‘tough guy’ thing is just for show...because I’m too scared to let people in and let them see what I’m really like.”  
  
“Hey, for the record...” I began. “I much prefer the real Levi over ‘tough guy’ Levi.” I smiled. Levi looked to me incredulously.  
  
“You’ve got to be shitting me.”  
  
“Nope.” I shook my head and held out the knife. “You gave me this because you trusted me, remember? So, do you trust me or not?”  
  
Levi’s face relaxed into a smile.  
  
“I trust you, Eren.” he gripped my hand and clutched it tightly. My heart fluttered.  
  
Levi looked back up to the sky. “After all that, I didn’t even get to explain to you the real reason I brought you here...although I guess all that shit just helped further the point I want to make.” he drew in a deep breath and looked to the floor before flicking his gaze back up to me. “This is going to sound weird but...I’ve only ever had two stars in my life.” he looked to the trio of stars above before looking back to me. “I want you to be my third.”  
  
“L-levi....”  
  
Was he saying he... _liked_ me?  
  
“You can say no-I won’t be offended.” he glanced away awkwardly, a slight blush rising on his cheeks.  
  
Fucking hell, this was precious.  
  
“Say _no_?! Leviii~!” I laughed, suffocating him in a hug.  
  
“Oi, watch it! You’re going to make me fall off the side, brat!” came the muffled, irritated response.  
  
“S-sorry.” I chuckled, pulling back.  
  
“So you’ll be my third star?”  
  
“Do you even need to _ask_ that question?!” I grinned.  
  
“I guess not.” he mused, craning his neck back to look at the sky. “Lets see...see that bright star a little way above the three stars I pointed out before?”  
  
“Mhm?”  
  
“That’s you. My third star.” he looked to me with a smile and just like when he was crying, his mask was gone.  
  
This was the real Levi and I never wanted him to leave.  
  
I shuffled closer to him and hesitantly rested my head against his shoulder. Levi froze for a moment before wrapping his arm around me.  
  
I felt safe. I felt happy. I felt wanted.  
  
I looked up to the sky and gazed adoringly to the star next to Levi’s.  
  
That star was meant for _me_. I closed my eyes and smiled.  
  
I never wanted this moment to end.  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems Eren and Levi weren't alone on the rooftop...and following what went on, Levi now finds himself in a compromising position, and time is running out. What will he do?  
> Find out next time...


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi gets caught red handed by Erwin and Erwin wants answers. Levi gets left with a tough choice-but what will he chose? Will he go with his head or his heart?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to chapter 9!! Be prepared for much angst ;-; I'm sorry  
> Enjoy and as always, comments and feedback always mean the world to me! ^0^

_Levi_  
  
I felt Eren’s breathing even out against my shoulder after a while and I knew he’d fallen asleep. I moved my arm to look at him and sure enough, the kid was out of it, lying peacefully against me. His dark hair fell perfectly over his face, his sun kissed skin illuminated by the pale light of the moon. A ghost of a smile rested on his lips.  
  
Eren was such a perfect kid. Not only was he stunning to look at, but he actually cared about me. Unlike anyone else I’d ever met-save for Isabel and Farlan of course-he didn’t just turn a blind eye to me and dismiss me as just another soldier.   
  
As another _statistic_.   
  
He saw me as the person I was and I felt safe with him. Like I didn’t need to hide behind the mask.  
  
He was one of the only people I actually opened up to. Hell, I fucking _cried_ in front of him and when I was expecting him to see me as weak and fragile, he carries on exactly the same and says he even _prefers_ the real me.   
  
He would be the first.   
  
I passed a hand gently down his cheek and smiled, placing a soft kiss on his forehead. A cold chill swept over us and I decided it was probably about time I took Eren back inside. My knife lay by his side from when he took it out before. I slotted it back under his skirt and scooped him up carefully, making sure not to wake him.  
  
I reached the basement and placed the boy back in his bed, a twang of guilt washing over me as I had to clamp his wrists back in those disgusting shackles. Once I pulled the thin bed sheet back over his body, I took one glance back before leaving the room.   
  
It was as if Eren had never even left the room.   
  
I made my way back up the stairs to my new quarters when I heard the sound of a door close a little way off. I turned over my shoulder only to find Erwin stood in the middle of the corridor, his face cast in shadow from the dimming light of the torches.   
  
“Where’ve you been? I wasn’t alerted anyone was supposed to be out this late.”  
  
“I could ask you the same thing.” I shot back defensively.   
  
“This isn’t _about_ me. No need to get so defensive, Levi. Unless of course, you’re _keeping_ something from me, in which case I recommend you explain yourself now.”  
  
“I’m not keeping anything from you, now just let me go to bed.” I dismissed, making for my room.   
  
“At least just tell me where you’ve been.”   
  
“You’re not my fucking _mom_. I can go places without you having to know my every move.”   
  
A heavy hand was suddenly clamped on my wrist.  
  
“No, I’m _not_ your mom. I’m your _commander_ , which means you’re stepping out of your place talking in that tone with me.”  
  
“Its not out of my place to ask to be left alone when I want to go to bed.”

Erwin eyed me with a heated glance.   
  
“It is when you won’t tell me where you’ve just been.”  
  
“For fucks sake, if you’re so desperate to know, I was out on the rooftop watching the stars.”  
  
“The rooftop, huh? So how come you were coming from downstairs then?”  
  
Shit.   
  
Erwin had me wrapped around his finger effortlessly. He didn’t even have to try.   
  
Anything I said, he’d always catch me out in the end.   
  
“Rooftop?” I questioned back. “When did I say rooftop? I said outside. And outside means I have to go _downstairs_ to leave the building.”  
  
Erwin pinned me against the wall with ease and held me there before I even had chance to react. I blinked, slightly winded, as a small wave of pain from the impact of being slammed against the wall washed over me.   
  
“Bullshit. I saw you out there with Eren. I _saw_ what you were doing, Levi.”  
  
My eyes grew wide.   
  
I felt like the ground had been swept away beneath my feet.   
  
“Y-you saw us?”  
  
“I saw enough.” he said, fixing me with his cold, powerful eyes. “You’re getting too friendly with him, and this has to stop now, you understand?”  
  
“My feelings for the kid are my concern alone, not yours.” I snapped.  
  
“No. You develop feelings for the boy, Levi, and you’re ruined. You saw how the death of your two friends scarred you--“  
  
“Don’t bring them into this!”  
  
“But its the same principal! You devoted your heart to them, became too attached to them and then once they died, you didn’t know what to do with yourself. Eren is exactly the same. You’re an idiot if you think the boy will actually survive to the end of this battle with the titans.”  
  
“You don’t fucking know that.”  
  
“Don’t let him get to you, Levi. He’s just a boy. You can do better than that. What makes _him_ so special from anyone else? You called him a brat yourself on several occasions.”  
  
“Maybe because the kid treats me like a person, not just a vessel, which is more than I can say for _you_.” I spat.  
  
“Eren is naive. Levi, don’t you understand? He’s still young-expressing intense emotions is the only way he can handle you.”  
  
“He handles me better than you, asshole.”  
  
“No he doesn’t. You’re trying to twist your own thoughts to believe that, but we both know I am the better person for you. I don’t give you the gentleness and softness Eren does because I know if we get too attached to each other, when one of us dies, it’ll only ruin the other person. Distance is the only way love can work in a world like this. You know that.” he spoke in a low growl, craning his neck slowly forwards, his lips pursed and edging for mine.   
  
“But I don’t love you, so get the fuck off me.” I seethed, fixing Erwin with a furious glare.   
  
But the man didn’t so much as flinch, locking me with an intense, unyielding gaze. He stepped back and frowned.  
  
“Why do you resent me, Levi? All I’ve ever done was for your own good. Why repay me with such hate?”  
  
“For my own good?” I laughed humorlessly. “You’re a controlling asshole who won’t fucking let me make my own decisions.”  
  
“If I let you do that, you’ll just get hurt.”   
  
“Then let me.”  
  
A thick silence suffocated us both.   
  
“No. I won’t allow it. You can’t see how reckless you’re being and its beginning to piss me off. If you develop any more feelings for Eren, its inevitably going to lead to you fucking him in everyday under the sun-matter of fact, I’m surprised you haven’t _already_.”  
  
I clenched my jaw in a desperate attempt to control my anger. “And he’s still a kid, Levi. You could get yourself thrown in jail for underage sex! Worse still, given the delicate situation at hand with Eren, he could be the one to suffer the consequences, not you....which is why I’m willing to make a compromise.”  
  
He folded his arms and fixed me with a cold impassive stare. “If you stay far away from Eren and forget this whole mistake ever happened, I’ll keep my mouth shut about everything. Keep on trying to be with him, and I will not hesitate to alert the higher-ups and press charges of underage against you.”  
  
“But--“  
  
A finger was pressed to my lips as Erwin leant forward again, shrinking me against the wall by leaning an arm on the wall above my head, enveloping me in his shadow.   
  
I was trapped.   
  
In every possible sense.  
  
“When it comes to a court case, who are the higher ups more likely to believe? A corporal or a commander? Whether it’s true or not, I can convince them to believe what I want.”   
  
“Why the fuck are you doing this...”  
  
“Because I’d rather see you in jail before I let some teenage boy ruin you, Levi.” A sad, twisted smile touched on his lips.   
  
I felt sick.  
  
Erwin brushed his hand down my face. I gritted my teeth and swerved away, violently slapping his hand away. I breathed heavily, standing a little way from him, looking to the man through hooded eyes.   
  
“Do we have a deal?”  
  
“Fuck you.” I managed weakly, turning as fast as I could away from him.  
  
“Remember, I’m doing this for your own good, Levi.” he spoke, before I slammed the room of my door shut behind me.    
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eren finds Levi the next morning, only to find a change in his attitude. Why has he suddenly turned like this? Didn't they mean anything anymore? Who will Eren turn to for answers?


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's surreal dream quickly comes to an end as it seems Levi's suddenly reverted back to the person he was before. Did the night before mean nothing? Did /they/ mean nothing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!! Welcome to chapter 10-a fairly short one this time, the next one is longer I promise.   
> Back to angst I'm afraid ;-; so enjoy~and you know the score, comments and all that jazz would be amazing!!  
> Thank you! ^0^

_Eren_  
  
I woke up the next morning to find myself back in the cell. I guessed Levi must have taken me back while I was asleep.   
  
I still found it impossible to believe any of what happened the night before was real.   
  
Unless...it was all just a dream. Maybe I never even left the room and Levi crying and kissing me and calling me his third star, was all just a figment of my imagination.   
  
I let out a sigh and sat up, passing a hand to my head. I looked to the shackles around my wrists and found them fastened upside down to how they were fastened the night before.  
  
Which meant they had been unlocked and re-locked again.   
  
So it _was_ real! It _did_ happen!  
  
A strange, warm sense of happiness pulsed through my body at a hundred miles an hour. A grin played on my lips.   
  
No doubt Levi would come striding through the door at any minute. When he did, I’d wrap him in a tight hug and kiss his cheek chastely to remind him how much I loved him. Then I’d ask if we could go out onto the rooftop again that night and we could talk and watch the stars.  
  
I heard the clink of a key in the lock of the door. My heart fluttered and my mouth dropped open in excitement.   
  
My heart sank when, in the doorway, stood only one of the other scout members.   
  
Levi was nowhere to be seen.   
  
  
I was escorted to the dining hall for breakfast; all the other cadets already eating by the time I got there. My heart only sank further when I couldn’t see Levi anywhere.   
  
I took a seat beside Petra with a frown.   
  
“Hey Eren, what’s up?” she said with a small smile.  
  
“You haven’t seen captain Levi anywhere, have you?”  
  
“Oh yeah, he was in here with Erwin earlier.”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“Yeah, they sat together for a bit and then they disappeared again. Something you needed to see him about?”  
  
“N-no.” I shook my head. “I was just wondering...”  
  
“I must say, the corporal wasn’t looking too good when I saw him. He was a lot paler than usual and his hair was a mess.”  
  
Had something happened to him?  
  
A rush of worry washed over me. I had to speak to him.   
  
I skipped breakfast and hurried out into the corridor in some vein attempt to find Levi.   
  
As it happened, I reached his dorm level just as he turned the corner, almost walking straight into me. His eyes grew wide, letting out a short gasp, stumbling back a few steps. And just like Petra had said, his hair was unkempt and messy, his cheeks pale and dark circles under his eyes.   
  
“Levi?”  
  
“Get out of my way, Eren.” he said, back in the cold, dismissive tone he had left behind the night before.   
  
“No. Something’s happened. What is it?” I blocked his path and searched his eyes for an answer.   
  
“Just get out of my fucking way, Eren.” he growled. “You don’t understand. I don’t have time for this.”  
  
“Then _make_ me understand, Levi. Something’s not right. Please...let me in again. I can help.”  
  
“No you can’t. You really fucking can’t.” he snapped, trying to push past me.  
  
I didn’t know what he was so afraid of, but if I could get him to open up to me once, I could sure as hell do it again.   
  
I grabbed Levi by the shoulders and pressed him against the wall, fixing him with an intense stare.   
  
I _was_ going to help him, he could count on that.   
  
I lifted his chin and leaned in to kiss him but he pushed me back just as fast.  
  
“Don’t.” he warned sharply.   
  
“Why are you being like this, Levi! Didn’t last night mean anything to you?!” I cried out desperately.   
  
“Of course it did!” he shot back. “It meant the fucking world to me, Eren. But just...don’t.”  
  
“Don’t _what_?”  
  
“Just...don’t. Its not worth it.” he dismissed, pushing past me and walking quickly away. I stood rooted in place, dumbly.   
  
Was this it? Was he just going to get rid of me like that?  
  
No. I wasn’t going to let him leave it there.   
  
Not when I’d come this far.   
  
“Levi, wait!” I called after him. He paused and kept his head down. I drew the blade out from under my skirt and extended it out towards him. “If you’re not going to tell me what’s wrong, if you can’t trust me, then why did you give this to me?”   
  
Levi didn’t turn around.   
  
“I _do_ trust you. I always will. But just...don’t get involved, kid. Just drop it. Drop _us_. Please...” there was a weak, desperate falter in his voice.  
  
“S-so its _me_? _I’m_ the one who pissed you off?”   
  
“No! For fucks sake, Eren, no! There’s no way to explain it to you...so just...I’m begging you, please...just don’t talk to me. I want you to forget any of this ever happened.” his voice was close to breaking as he turned the corner.  
  
“Levi...” his name died on my lips. I gripped the knife and swallowed, casting my eyes to the floor.   
  
Levi may not have been willing to explain what was going on, but I knew someone who would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who does Eren go to for advice? And will that advice be Eren's saving grace...or his downfall? Find out next time...


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren consults Erwin about Levi's odd behavior, only to fall right into Erwin's trap, learning the shocking truth about what happened the night before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! And welcome to the penultimate chapter of 'Lock and Key' :0 thanks so much for sticking with this story (and for bearing with the consequences in these last two chapters-you'll see what I mean later)  
> As always, comments/feedback are always amazing-and I guess all that's left is just, enjoy!

“Come in.” Erwin’s voice sounded from the other side of the door.   
  
I took a deep breath and opened the door.   
  
Erwin sat behind a desk, piled high with paperwork. The walls of the room were lined with bookshelves. He looked up to me with a small confused smile. “Hello, Eren. What can I do for you?”  
  
I swallowed and wrung my hands.   
  
“Well...its about captain Levi, sir.”   
  
“Levi...” the name lingered on his lips, his tongue playing over every syllable. “What is it? Is something wrong with him?”  
  
“Well that’s the thing, sir...I was hoping you could tell _me_.”   
  
Erwin considered and stood up. He moved over to the door and shut it behind me, his hand loosely gripped on the door knob.  
  
“Alright then. Take a seat, Eren, and tell me what you mean.”   
  
I nodded and sat down on the chair before his desk. He lingered by the door for a moment before returning back to his desk. He leaned forward on his elbows, clasping his hands together. “Now then. What seems to be the matter with him?”  
  
“Well...”   
  
I paused, suddenly realizing there was no real way to explain without also letting on about our closeness. “The captain just wasn’t acting like himself this morning.”  
  
“Oh? How do you mean?”  
  
“I-I mean, he wasn’t looking as neat as he normally does, like..his hair was messy and he looked kinda pale. I was just wondering...if something _happened_ to him. I figured I’d come to _you_ since he seems pretty close to you as a friend and also because you’re his commander, too.”   
  
I breathed an internal sigh of relief.   
  
I’d played it off without looking suspicious.   
  
Or so I thought.  
  
Erwin craned his neck to the side, smoothing a hand up and down his jaw in thought.   
  
“Well thank you for telling me, Eren. I did notice that myself when I saw him this morning. Seems he took the news worse than I thought he would.” he mused idly, looking beyond me.  
  
“Y-you know what’s wrong with him?”  
  
“Of course I do. I just didn’t think he’d react so badly to it.” he said in the same cold, slightly amused tone.  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“You.”   
  
My heart fluttered. A short twist churned in my stomach.   
  
“M-me?”  
  
Erwin fixed me with an intense stare, anger beginning to flare in his impassive eyes. He spread his hands out flat on the desk, his arms tensed. Hard muscles shadowed through his shirt.   
  
My heart hammered in my chest.  
  
“I’m not stupid, Eren. I _know_ what’s been going on between you and Levi. And frankly, the two of you are getting too friendly for my liking.”  
  
“How did you--  
  
“I’ve seen all I needed to see, Eren. I saw the two of you up there on the rooftop last night. I saw what you were doing with him. And I won’t allow it to go on any longer. Enough damage has already been done.”  
  
I sat, looking to Erwin, growing more terrified with every word that left his lips. “So I spoke to him last night and gave him a choice...that’s why he’s acting the way he is.”  
  
“W-what choice?”  
  
“The same choice I’m going to give to you now.”   
  
I leaned back as far as I could in the chair, the cold wood sending a shiver scuttling up my spine. I clenched my jaw and swallowed, unable to draw my gaze away from Erwin’s overpowering stare. “You’ve fucked with Levi’s head. He can’t think straight because you’ve skewed everything he’s come to know and it has to stop _now_. I can’t let you ruin him like that.”  
  
“I--“  
  
“No. Listen to me!” He suddenly rose to his feet, slamming a hand down on the desk.   
  
My heart almost leaped out of my mouth. Erwin began to move from the desk, towards me.  I instinctively sprung to my feet, making for the door. I grabbed the door handle and tried to twist it open.   
  
It was locked.  
  
Of course. When I first stepped in the room, he had lingered by the door for a while before coming over to his desk.   
  
Why didn’t I see that?! “There’s no point in running, Eren. You can’t run from this.” he said calmly and coldly.   
  
I kept a hand firmly on the doorknob. “I’m not out to hurt you. I’m not the villain here. But I won’t let you ruin Levi. You’ve fucked with him enough as it is. Its not fair on him to torment him with sentiments and attachments. Not in a world like this where any one of us could die without warning. Do you understand?”  
  
I dropped my arm and looked to the floor. “You don’t know Levi like I know him. I know what makes him tick, know every little habit and pet peeve-I’d say I know him better than he himself does and this relationship is only asking for destruction.”  
  
And then it dawned on me.   
  
It had been staring me in the face the whole time and I only realized it now.   
  
“You...love him. Don’t you?” I said quietly, my voice close to breaking, turning round to face the man.  
  
“Its hard to love anyone in a world like this. But...Levi is the closest thing I’ll ever get to happiness, and all I want is for him to be happy in return.”   
  
I never saw it before now.   
  
Why Erwin and Levi were always together.   
  
Why Erwin always spoke so highly of Levi.   
  
Why Erwin always... _looked_ at Levi the way he did.   
  
Oh god...  
  
“D-does Levi feel the same way?” I spoke weakly.   
  
“I don’t know.” Erwin shot a glance to the floor and frowned. “Even _I_ can’t understand what goes through his head sometimes. All I want is to try and make him happy. But he won’t let me in. He won’t let me understand what he wants. And I never know if I’m doing it right.”  
  
“He just wants people to accept the person he really is.” I said quietly. “If you say you know him so well, then you’d know better than anyone. Levi hides behind this mask where he pretends like he doesn’t give two shits about anything. But he’s just _scared_. He’s scared people won’t accept him when he lets them in and shows who he really is.”  
  
“And he told you that?”  
  
“Not completely. He told me part of it, I figured the rest out myself.”  
  
“Why the hell would he let you in after barely knowing you when he’s known me longer than you’ve even been alive?”  
  
“Because I didn’t push him. I let him lead. I gave him the control and once he knew I wouldn’t try anything, he felt confident enough to open up to me.”  
  
“I _gave_ him control!” Erwin snapped. “I tried to make him happy and I’m still not good enough. What more can I do?!”  
  
“If you’re aggressive, he’ll never let you in. Levi is really fucking scared so just--“  
  
“I don’t need you to tell me what to do and what not to do, Eren.” he interjected. “But all this is beside the point. Either way, you’re responsible for messing Levi up and from here you have two choices.”  
  
I gulped as a heavy hand was clamped on my shoulder, spinning me round. I looked up into Erwin’s powerful eyes. He pushed me back against the door and lowered his head to eye me levelly. “You can stop this now and pretend like it never happened and I’ll turn a blind eye to it as well. But if you keep trying to chase him and trying to get in the way between me and Levi...I will not hesitate to press charges against him for underage with you.”  
  
“Underage?! But Levi would never--“  
  
“It doesn’t matter. With my power, I can manipulate the higher ups to believe whatever the hell I tell them. You saw how I did it in the courtroom. Its almost too easy.”   
  
“Why the fuck are you doing this...” I spluttered, unable to even speak.  
  
“Its funny...Levi said the exact same thing. So I’ll tell you the same thing I told him.”  
  
Erwin leaned in a little closer and narrowed his eyes. “Because I’d rather see Levi in jail before I let some teenage boy ruin him. You don’t realize how destructive you are for him, Eren. You can’t be with him. I won’t allow it. For his sake.”  
  
“Just because you want him for yourself!” I cried out, on the verge of tears.   
  
“No!” Erwin hissed. “This isn’t _about_ me! This is about _him_! Its about you, Eren.” he composed himself with a deep breath, looking to the ground. He combed a hand through his thick, pristine blonde hair. “But its alright...because Levi will move on from you just as fast as he fell for you. Like I said, he’s fickle like that.”  
  
“N-no...” tears were welling in my eyes by this point.   
  
“Just give it less than a week and he’ll already have forgotten what the taste of your lips were like.” he paused. “Don’t cry, Eren. I don’t want you to be upset over this. If you really loved Levi, you’d let him go and let him be happy. After all, you only have yourself to blame. You started this mess. You let yourself fall for him. Now its you who has to pay the price.” Erwin let go of my shoulder and unlocked the door. “Just remember, Eren, love is a dangerous game in the military. Love doesn't belong in a world like this. And you’re a fool if you let yourself believe you actually have a chance with it.”  
  
I watched the door shut in my face, my cheeks wet with tears.   
  
What had I done?  
  
I had inadvertently stolen Levi away from Erwin without even knowing.   
  
Now I was trapped either way.   
  
I either gave Levi up and live in despair, overcome with jealously and grief as he came back to Erwin, or I kept trying and got Levi thrown in prison.   
  
I couldn’t breathe.   
  
I couldn’t feel the floor beneath my feet.   
  
I couldn’t do anything but stand there and cry.   
  
All the dreams and visions of what we were...what we _could have been_...it all meant nothing now.   
  
The kisses, the opening up, the stars, the knife...  
  
It suddenly became clear to me what I had to do.   
  
There was a way to erase this whole mistake I had created.  
  
I wiped my eyes and started in the other direction, stumbling quickly up to the rooftop.   
  
A cold rush of air swept over me, feeling cold against my wet cheeks. The wind gently caressed my hair, calming me down.   
  
My breathing slowed as I crossed to the edge of the rooftop. I craned my neck up and looked to the sky. There were no clouds, a dark abyss stretching out of sight in every direction. The tri-star hung as it did the night before.  
  
I smiled as Levi’s middle star was shining brighter tonight. Lifting my eyeline above it, I found the star Levi had dedicated to me.  
  
His third star.   
  
A small smile ghosted on my lips as I drew Levi’s knife out from under my skirt. I held it up and read the inscription along the side of the hilt.   
  
‘As long as it feels right to you, do it.’  
  
And it did feel right. The only way to get rid of the mess I’d made was to erase myself from the problem altogether.   
  
Erwin was right. Erwin was right about everything. I was just some kid, some _brat_ , that’d just end up ruining Levi.   
  
And I loved Levi too much to let him crumble like that.  
  
I raised the knife with two trembling hands and turned the blade inwards, facing myself. I closed my eyes for a moment, looking back up to the stars through clouded eyes. I swallowed and took a deep breath.  
  
After all, I deserved this.  
  
I broke the one promise I vowed to stick to from the start.   
  
I stepped out of his shadow.   
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Levi feels guilty and makes to find Eren to apologize and explain about his behavior, only to find...he's too late.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi finds Eren on the rooftop to discover he's too late...and his knife is stained with blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO and welcome to the very last chapter of Lock and Key! Crazy, right?! So here you are, enjoy!  
> And for the final time, any comments/ feedback would be amazing! (You guys have been brilliant at this throughout so thanks so much!!!)

_Levi_  
  
Did I feel like shit? Yes.  
  
Should I have just come clean to Eren about everything that happened? Yes.   
  
But did I?  
  
Of course not. I was too fucking afraid of what Erwin would do if I even spoke to the kid at all. And every time I tried to get away, Eren kept pulling me back. Trying to hang on to me-to _us_.   
  
But there was no way I had the strength to tell him there could be no _us_.   
  
It was hard to say how he would react-either way I was almost sure he wouldn’t take it well. If Eren started crying, it wouldn’t take much before I was too.   
  
But it was unfair to keep him hanging like that. To suddenly shut him out with no explanation, after being so close only the night before.   
  
And if I didn’t say anything, then no doubt Erwin would. And I’d rather tell him myself and risk the consequences then let that asshole tell him and most likely twist the situation, any day.   
  
After my run in with Eren, I kept myself locked away in my room, save he should try and find me again.   
  
Him _or_ Erwin for that matter.   
  
I don’t really recall how I whiled away the hours, but I remember stirring in bed to the sound of a knocking at the door. I groaned and sat up with a grimace.   
  
“What?” I called through.  
  
“Levi?” Erwin’s voice sounded from the other side.   
  
What did he fucking want this time?  
  
“What do you want, asshole?”  
  
“Nothing. I just thought you should know, Eren came to my office just now.”  
  
I snapped my head up to the door.   
  
“What? Why?”  
  
“He was worried about you and came to me for an answer.”   
  
No no no, this was bad.  
  
I rushed over and swung open the door.   
  
“What the hell did you say to him? You told him, didn’t you...”  
  
“Of course. If he were kept out of the loop, then he’d never stay away from you.”  
  
I let out a short grunt of anger and clenched my fists. “Did you touch him? D-did you hurt him?”  
  
“No. I’m not like that. He was crying-that was all.”   
  
“What the hell did you say to him, asshole?!”  
  
“Exactly what I told you.” he said impassively.   
  
“Where is he? Where the hell did he go?”  
  
“I can’t say. I let him go from the office about 10 minutes ago and when I left to talk to you, he was gone. He’s probably gone to think about the mistake he’s made, I expect.”   
  
“Shut the hell up and move out of my way!” I growled, pushing past him.   
  
I hastened down to the basement and rapped loudly on the door. “Eren?” With no answer, I desperately tried twisting the door handle to find the door unlocked. I almost fell through the entrance, stumbling into a dark, deserted room. The shackles lay strewn on the bed, the sheets thrown to one side.   
  
I searched my mind for where he could have gone.   
  
And then I suddenly knew exactly where he was.   
  
I reached the landing of the rooftop and looked on in horror.   
  
“EREN!” I cried.   
  
The boy lay stretched across the tiles on his side, his arms lying limply out in-front of him. I ran over, dropping to my knees beside him.   
  
Shit.  
  
A puddle of fresh blood was gathering underneath his chest.   
  
“Eren! Shit shit shit...what the fuck did you _do_?!”   
  
I scooped the boy off the ground and supported him in my arms. A bright stain was growing around his stomach on his shirt.   
  
He looked weakly to me, his face pale, the colour quickly draining from his face. His beautiful eyes no longer glowed. They were dimming.   
  
A small smile trembled on his lips.   
  
“L-levi....”  
  
“Eren, what the hell did you--” I choked, letting out a sharp gasp, as my eyes fixed upon my knife, lying covered in blood at Eren’s side. “Oh fuck no....” Tears quickly clouded my vision.   
  
“Levi...” he struggled, no louder than a whisper. “Its ok...Its b-better this way...Please don’t cry...”  
  
“N-no. No! You’re fine! You’re going to be fine!” I cried through a broken voice, trying to stand up with him in my arms. “W-we’ll get you back inside and you’re going to be fine!”   
  
“Levi, no...”   
  
I looked to the boy, tears rolling down my face one after the other, my mouth trembling. “Just let me die.”  
  
“I can’t let you, Eren. I can’t lose you.”  
  
“Please...let me at least make one decision for myself....for /once/.”  
  
I pulled Eren in close, holding onto him like a life line. I sobbed loudly, my back shaking violently. I could feel the warm blood seeping through my shirt.   
  
“Why’d you do it, Eren....”   
  
“So you can be happy. So you don’t have to be weighed down by a brat like me.”  
  
“No....no Eren. Look at me. Look at me!”   
  
The boy met my gaze weakly. “Fuck whatever the hell Erwin told you in there. You’re not some _brat_. You were the life I always wanted to have. You were the future I was dreaming of. You were my third star.” I faltered.  
  
“But I broke my promise.”  
  
“What promise?”  
  
“To always stay in your shadow...on your knife it says to do something if it feels right to you. And this was me putting things right again-for stepping out of your shadow and making this whole mess. I’m sorry, Levi...”  
  
He stretched up with his last ounce of strength, his lips yearning for mine. With a broken sob, I pulled Eren’s face in close and kissed him as hard as I could. I felt the breath leave his mouth as he fell back limply in my arms. His head lolled back, his eyes slowly shutting.   
  
A single tear snaked down his chalk face.   
  
“Oh god no...”   
  
Fat tears poured from my eyes as I held Eren tightly to my chest, the warm blood now cold against my body.   
  


  
I lifted my head after a long time, at the sound of people’s voices. Cries. Shrieks. Screams. They were all the same.   
  
Everything seemed to warp and merge into each other.  
  
Was this a dream?  
  
Dried tears felt cold against my cheek as the wind brushed past me.   
  
I felt a weight suddenly lifted from me and when I looked to my hands, they were empty.   
  
Eren’s blood the only thing left on them.   
  
The other scouts left with Eren’s body and left me alone on the rooftop.  
  
Alone again.  
  
I rose to my feet and sat over the edge of the drop. I looked either side of me.   
  
I saw Isabel grinning on my left.   
  
I saw Farlan laughing on my right.   
  
And I saw Eren resting his head on my shoulder as we watched the stars.   
  
My third star glowed brightly that night.  
  
Brighter than it ever did before.  
  
Brighter than it ever would again. 


End file.
